Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a vascular disease that affects millions of Americans over the age of 50 every year. It's important for seniors and their caregivers to understand PAD's symptoms, risk factors, and available treatments so they can recognize the signs and get proper treatment quickly.
Here's what you need to know, straight from Senior Helpers Naperville.
What is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?
PAD is a circulatory condition that develops when blood vessels throughout the body's arms and legs become blocked with cholesterol, plaque, fat deposits, calcium, or a combination of all. The decrease in blood flow can create an unfavorable environment for the affected area.
It can also cause further health problems like pain when walking (known as intermittent claudication), poor wound healing on limbs due to reduced oxygenation of tissues, and foot deformities such as ulcers due to nerve damage caused by chronic under-oxygenation of nerves called diabetic neuropathy in diabetics with PAD.
What are the Symptoms?
The most common symptoms of PAD include:
- Pain or discomfort in your legs, especially when you are active (known as claudication).
- Tingling sensations and numbness in feet and toes.
- Foot wounds that heal slowly or won't heal at all.
- Discoloration of skin from pale to blue or purple on the affected area.
- Cold sensation and loss of hair growth in the lower extremities.
If seniors start to experience any of these symptoms, contact a healthcare provider immediately.
Diagnosing PAD
Doctors can diagnose PAD with physical examinations, noting if there are weak or absent pulses in the legs and feet. Doctors can also use noninvasive testing such as an ankle-brachial index (ABI) to check for reduced blood flow. Additionally, imaging tests such as ultrasound or CT scans of various vessels may help see what's causing the blockage.
Treatments for Peripheral Artery Disease
Treatments for PAD include lifestyle changes like quitting smoking and regular exercising to reduce blockages in the circulatory system. Additionally, drugs such as cilostazol can improve blood flow by constricting other muscles not affected by PAD-related blockage.
If lifestyle changes don't help, procedures such as angioplasty (stent placement) or bypass surgery could be necessary to reroute blocked vessels around an artery or replace it with a graft from another part of the body.
Contact Senior Helpers for Premium In-Home Senior Care
Peripheral artery disease is a serious condition for seniors. However, it is a condition that can be managed and even reversed if treated early. If you or someone close to you has symptoms of PAD, it's important to speak with their doctor as soon as possible in order to get the best treatment plan.
At Senior Helpers Naperville, we care about our clients and want them to take comfort in knowing they are receiving the highest quality of care available so that they live happy and healthy lives!
Contact us today to learn more about our services in the Naperville, Aurora, Oak Park, Berwyn, DuPage County, Cook County, and Willowbrook areas.