Peripheral Arterial Disease

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

ROCHESTER, Minn. — That pain in your calf muscle when you walk may not be an ache from aging or overdoing. It could be a sign that the supply of blood in your legs can't keep up with demand.

The condition is called peripheral arterial disease (PAD). In PAD, arteries supplying blood to your legs become clogged or partially blocked. PAD affects one in 20 people over age 50. The biggest risk factors for PAD are diabetes and smoking. Being overweight, not exercising, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol also increase risk.

Without treatment or lifestyle changes, PAD may progress. Pain can be intense enough to wake you at night or prevent sleep. Other symptoms include leg numbness or weakness, sores on legs that won't heal, cold legs or feet, changes in skin color and death of tissue, which may require amputation.

Exercise is a key part of treatment. Often, an exercise plan involves walking until you feel pain, resting, and then walking again. Walking helps increase or improve the development of collateral blood vessels. A healthy diet and not smoking also can help stabilize or improve PAD.

With lifestyle changes alone, more than 70 percent of people with PAD have no disease progression or even show improvement. Other treatment options include medication to prevent blood clotting, angioplasty to open arteries, or grafts to bypass blocked arteries.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester - Lisa Copeland
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville - Erik Kaldor
904-953-2299

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale - Anne Tewksbury
480-301-4368

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