Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease which is commonly abbreviated as PAD in the medical terms. is a narrowing of the arteries other than those that supply the heart or the brain. When narrowing occurs in the heart, it is called coronary artery disease, while it is in the brain, it is called cerebrovascular disease. Peripheral artery disease most commonly affects the legs, but other arteries may also be involved.

Risk factor:

·         Cigarette smoking

·         Diabetes

·         High blood pressure

·         High blood Cholesterol

PAD is typically diagnosed by finding an ankle-brachial index commonly known as ABI. Duplex ultrasound and angiography can also be used for diagnosing this PAD.

Signs and symptoms:

·         Intermittent Claudication

·         Critical limb ischemia

Causes:

·         Smoking

·         Diabetes Mellitus

·         Dyslipidemia

·         Hypertension

·         Heart attack

Classification:

PAD is commonly divided into four stages

1.       Stage 1: Which is asymptomatic

2.       Stage 2: Mild Claudication pain in limb

3.       Stage 3: Rest pain

4.       Stage 4: Necrosis

Cardiology research Journals like Clinical Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine (CCCM) provides a global open access platform to put forth the ongoing research, reviews articles related to Peripheral artery disease.