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What
Your Legs Could be telling you about Your
Heart Health
Newswise, February 18, 2011 — Approximately
nine million Americans over the age of 50
are living with a disease that affects their
legs and raises their risk of having a heart
attack. Unfortunately, many with the disease
do not even know they have it. February is
Heart Month, and the Vascular Disease
Foundation and its P.A.D. Coalition are
urging Americans to listen to their legs and
be alert to the signs of peripheral arterial
disease, or P.A.D.
P.A.D. occurs when arteries in the legs
become narrowed or clogged with fatty
deposits, reducing blood flow to the legs.
This can result in leg muscle pain when
walking, disability, amputation, and poor
quality of life. If you have blocked
arteries somewhere in the body, you are
likely to have them elsewhere. Thus, P.A.D.
is a red flag that other arteries, including
those in the heart, are likely affected –
increasing the risk of a heart disease,
heart attack and even death.
In many, P.A.D. is a silent disease, causing
no recognizable symptoms. People with P.A.D.
may have one or more of the following
symptoms:
• “Claudication” – fatigue, heaviness,
tiredness or cramping in the leg muscles
(calf, thigh or buttocks) that occurs during
activity such as walking and goes away with
rest.
• Foot or toe pain at rest that often
disturbs sleep
• Skin wounds or ulcers on the feet or toes
that are slow to heal (or that do not heal
for 8 to 12 weeks).
“Often, people think leg discomfort or slow
healing sores are just a part of aging, yet
they can be signs of a serious disease,”
stated Joseph Caporusso, DPM, Chair of the
P.A.D. Coalition.
“Through early detection and proper
treatment, we can reduce the devastating
consequences of P.A.D. and improve the
nation’s cardiovascular health.”
Everyone over age 50 is at risk for P.A.D.,
and your risk increases if you:
• Smoke, or used to smoke
• Have diabetes
• Have high blood pressure
• Have abnormal blood cholesterol
• Are African American
• Have a personal history of coronary heart
disease or stroke
The screening test for P.A.D. is called the
ankle-brachial index, a painless,
non-invasive test that compares the blood
pressure in the ankles with the blood
pressure in the arms. National medical
guidelines recommend that certain
individuals be tested for P.A.D., including:
• Adults under 50 years of age with diabetes
and at least one other risk factor such as a
history of smoking, abnormal cholesterol or
high blood pressure
• Adults aged 50 years or older with
diabetes or a history of smoking
• Adults aged 70 years or older
• Adults with one or more symptoms of P.A.D.
If you fit into any of the above groups,
talk to your health care provider about
being tested for P.A.D. For a free “Heart
and Sole Kit” with more information on P.A.D.,
please visitwww.padcoalition.org or
call 866.PAD.INFO (866.723.4636).
P.A.D. Coalition
The Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.)
Coalition is an alliance of more than 80
North American health organizations,
professional societies, government agencies
and corporations united to improve the
health and care of patients with P.A.D.
Established in 2004, the P.A.D. Coalition is
a division of the Vascular Disease
Foundation (www.vdf.org
) , a national, not-for-profit section
501(c)(3) organization. The P.A.D. Coalition
seeks to improve the prevention, early
detection, treatment, and rehabilitation of
people with, or at risk for, P.A.D.
Vascular Disease Foundation
The Vascular Disease Foundation is a
national, nonprofit, public education
organization dedicated to increasing
awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and
management of vascular disease. Its
outstanding board of directors includes
physicians, nurses, vascular technologists,
rehabilitation professionals and clinical
researchers who have been on the forefront
of fighting vascular diseases for many
years. For more information, visit
www.vdf.org
or call 888.VDF.4INFO (888.833.4463).
