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Defeat Diabetes Foundation

Defeat Diabetes
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PAD: A Serious, Under-Diagnosed Disease

Posted: Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a serious, under-diagnosed, under-treated disease, often referred to as a silent killer because most people show no symptoms.

A type of Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) characterized by the narrowing of the arteries in the legs caused by plaque build-up, it is a common condition that affects 8-12 million people in the U.S. every year.

For patients with PAD, the risk of heart attack or stroke is increased 7-10 times. And over 160,000 amputations in the U.S. annually are caused from PAD.

The most common symptom is leg pain when exercising, referred to as claudication, which subsides with rest. Unfortunately, most people attribute pain while walking or exercising to the aging process and don't get properly diagnosed; leg pain is not normal.

Risk factors include patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a family history of heart disease, or previous heart disease, or patients who smoke or are obese.

The most common test to diagnose pad is a simple non-invasive test called the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI)

Source: Diabetes In Control