Am I a Candidate for Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) screening?

Most people don’t hear about peripheral arterial disease until a doctor brings it up. By that point, the condition has often developed quietly for years.

PAD affects millions of people over age 40 in the United States, and a large portion of them don’t know they have it. The symptoms are easy to dismiss, and the disease can progress without causing obvious pain at all.

At Advanced Cardiovascular Care, Inc. in Riverside, California, board-certified cardiologist Syed W. Bokhari, MD, FACC, FSVM, screens patients for PAD to catch arterial disease before it leads to more serious complications.

What’s peripheral arterial disease?

PAD occurs when plaque builds up inside the arteries that carry blood to your legs, arms, and organs outside the heart. As those arteries narrow, blood flow to the limbs drops. The legs mostly take the brunt.

Reduced blood flow to the lower extremities can cause cramping, fatigue, or pain during walking that goes away with rest. In more advanced cases, it can cause wounds on the feet or legs that won’t heal, or tissue damage that becomes difficult to reverse.

Who should be screened for PAD?

PAD screening is a simple, noninvasive test called an ankle-brachial index, which compares blood pressure in the ankle to blood pressure in the arm. It takes only a few minutes and can detect reduced blood flow before symptoms become obvious. 

Certain groups have a higher likelihood of PAD and benefit most from screening, including people:

• 65 and older
• 50 and older who smoke or have diabetes
• With a history of heart attack, stroke, or coronary artery disease
• With high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or chronic kidney disease
• With leg pain, cramping, or fatigue during physical activity that resolves with rest

Age alone raises the risk, but the combination of smoking and diabetes is particularly associated with earlier and more severe disease.

PAD symptoms you shouldn’t brush off

PAD doesn’t always cause pain, which is one reason it goes undetected for so long. When symptoms do appear, people often attribute them to aging or muscle fatigue. Signs that deserve evaluation include:

• Cramping in your calves, thighs, or buttocks while walking
• Leg heaviness or weakness with activity
• Foot or toe sores that heal slowly or not at all
• Coldness or discoloration in one foot compared to the other
• Numbness or weakness in the legs

These symptoms are easy to write off as normal aging or lack of fitness, but they’re not always that simple.

Why early detection matters for PAD

PAD is a marker of systemic arterial disease. People with PAD have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke because the same plaque buildup affecting the leg arteries is often present in the coronary and carotid arteries as well. 

Catching it early allows Dr. Bokhari to address those broader cardiovascular risks before a more serious event occurs.

Treatment depends on the degree to which the disease has advanced, ranging from lifestyle changes and medication to procedures that restore blood flow in severely narrowed arteries.

PAD screening in Riverside, California

If you have risk factors for PAD or symptoms you haven’t had evaluated, call Advanced Cardiovascular Care, Inc. at 951-682-6900 or schedule an appointment online today.