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An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Peripheral arterial disease; PAD; Peripheral vascular disease;
Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have the same risk of death from heart events or stroke as people already diagnosed with heart disease. The risk increases as PAD gets worse. The worse the leg condition, the poorer the overall health of the patient.
If patients have blood clots and blockages in other arteries (brain, heart) as well as the legs, the risk for any vascular complication involving the heart, the brain, or the leg arteries increases much more.
In rare cases, blood clots can develop suddenly in a major artery in the leg -- a condition called acute occlusion. Symptoms include numbness, pain, coolness, pale color, lack of pulse in the artery, and weakness. This is a very serious event, which can lead to amputation or even loss of life. Treatment options include clot-busting drugs delivered to the blockage or surgery to remove the clot.
Peripheral artery disease can significantly impair daily physical functioning. Claudication pain severely limits physical activity. Even worse, intermittent claudication increases the risk for falling, usually because of unsteadiness, regardless of the severity of PAD. Intermittent claudication and PAD are also associated with mental decline.
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