Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease, also called peripheral arterial disease or PAD, is a circulatory disease that occurs when blood flow to the extremities is compromised due to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). As plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries feeding your legs, not enough blood can get through, causing symptoms like leg pain, numbness, and wounds that don’t heal.

Some people with PAD don’t have any symptoms at all. The most common symptom is pain in the legs while exercising (claudication). If you aren’t able to comfortably walk short distances or climb a flight of stairs, you may have PAD.

A more comprehensive list of PAD symptoms includes:

• Pain in the hips, thighs or calves when exercising
• Numbness or weakness in the legs
• Lack of sensation in the toes or feet (peripheral neuropathy)
• Sores on the feet that won’t heal
• One foot is colder than the other
• Shiny skin on the legs or change in skin color
• Hair loss or less hair growth on the legs
• Weak or missing pulse in the legs or feet (your doctor can determine this)
• Slowed nail growth
• Erectile dysfunction

Diagnosing PAD 

PAD is usually quite easily diagnosed by comparing the blood pressure in your lower extremities with the blood pressure in the rest of your body. Your doctor can also check for other telltale signs of PAD, such as temperature differences between your right and left feet.

Despite the non-invasive nature of PAD testing, it is often missed or misdiagnosed. Sometimes the symptoms of PAD, such as numbness in the toes and feet, can be masked by conditions like peripheral neuropathy. If you are on neuropathy medications and are still experiencing numbness in your feet, the culprit could be PAD. 

It is critical that PAD be properly diagnosed and treated because if atherosclerosis is present in your legs, it is also likely present throughout your body, putting you at risk for a serious cardiac event.