Health Screening for Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral arterial disease can cause immediate problems such as pain and numbness in the legs, or it may indicate far more serious coronary problems. People with peripheral arterial disease are four times more likely than their peers to die of heart disease. Peripheral arterial disease also makes a person two to six times more likely to die of a heart-related death, as reported by the Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition (2007).
Many cases of peripheral arterial disease are asymptomatic, while others cause general symptoms like numbness or cramping in the legs. These symptoms are often dismissed as indicative of a less serious condition, so health screening for peripheral arterial disease is important, especially if you're in a high-risk category. Early detection and treatment could save your life.

What is Peripheral Arterial Disease?

Peripheral arterial disease is the narrowing of peripheral arteries, usually in the pelvis or legs. This limits blood flow to the limbs, causing numbness, pain and eventual tissue death.
Peripheral arterial disease is usually a sign of hardening arteries elsewhere in the body, a condition called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis puts a person at high risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Who is at Risk for Peripheral Arterial Disease?

Some people have a higher risk of developing peripheral arterial disease than others. Risk factors include:
  • Being obese
  • Being over age 65
  • Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol
  • Exercising fewer than three times per week, for 20 to 30 minutes at a time
  • Having a family history of peripheral arterial disease
  • Having a poor diet
  • Having heart disease
  • Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol
  • Smoking.

How Does Peripheral Arterial Disease Screening Work?

If you meet one or more of the above risk factors, you should get a health screening for the condition. Since leg pain is so often attributed to minor illnesses, you may be tempted to ignore it. Doing so, however, could put you at a higher risk for heart disease or stroke.
If the medical screening test indicates the presence of peripheral arterial disease, you can begin treatment before it becomes life threatening.
Health screening for peripheral arterial disease involves measuring your ankle-brachial index (ABI), the ratio of the pressure in your arms to the pressure in your legs.
The procedure is quick, non-invasive and painless. A technician asks you to remove your socks and shoes before placing a cuff on your ankles and upper arms to measure your blood pressure. To make the medical screening test easier, wear a short-sleeve shirt and don't wear pantyhose to the screening.

Preventing Peripheral Arterial Disease

A healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent peripheral arterial disease. Maintain a healthy weight by exercising regularly and following a diet that's low in saturated fat. If you have high blood pressure or cholesterol levels, talk to your doctor about lowering these. People with diabetes should keep their blood sugar controlled to avoid developing peripheral arterial disease. If you smoke, consider quitting.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pernicious Anemia: Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Image
Anemia  is a blood disorder in which the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin is lower than normal. With fewer red blood cells or hemoglobin, insufficient oxygen is delivered to the body 's cells. Pernicious anemia  is a type of anemia caused by a deficiency in vitamin B12. In pernicious anemia, the lack of vitamin B12 is due to the body 's inability to produce enough  intrinsic factor , a protein necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12. Pernicious anemia is a type of  megaloblastic anemia . Megaloblastic anemia is defined as, "a blood disorder characterized by anemia, with red blood cells that are larger than normal, usually resulting from a deficiency of folic acid or of vitamin B12 .  " (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Pernicious anemia by any other name . . . Pernicious anemia is known by a number of other names, including: macrocytic achylic anemia congenital pernicious anemia juvenile pernicious anemia vitamin B12 deficienc
Keep reading

Stress Relaxation Techniques

The ultimate goal in stress coping and management is to reduce the negative effects of stress. Different relaxation techniques have proved successful and can be used based on individual preference. Brief descriptions of various techniques follow. If you are interested in pursuing the use of these techniques further, more information is available in books or on tapes. These books and tapes can be purchased at bookstores or may be accessible at your library. Deep Breating as a Relaxation Technique Deep breathing is the most basic relaxation technique and is often the foundation for other methods. The primary benefit is that deep breathing can be done anywhere and anytime. It is beneficial to practice deep breathing several times a day. The methodology consists of completely filling the lungs when breathing so that the abdomen expands out ward. You begin by taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly through the mouth. A hand can be placed on the stomach to ensure that it is fully e
Keep reading

Nutrition & Cystic Fibrosis

Image
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects the body's exocrine glands, including the various mucus and sweat glands found throughout the body. Since cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease, most people with the disease are usually diagnosed by their first birthday. The most common problems due to cystic fibrosis are related to the lungs and the digestive system. In the lungs, the mucus produced by the various exocrine glands is abnormally thick, creating obstructions in the breathing passageways and, eventually, damage to the lungs. Furthermore, the thick mucus creates an ideal breeding ground for various bacteria and other organisms, which results in frequent lung infections, damage to the lungs and, ultimately, respiratory failure. Cystic fibrosis also affects the pancreas. The pancreas is responsible for producing various enzymes to aid in digestion, but in cystic fibrosis the pancreas is unable to excrete sufficient amounts of pancreatic enzymes to help digest foo
Keep reading