Peripheral Arterial Disease - PubMed (original) (raw)

Book

In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.

2023 May 23.

Affiliations

Free Books & Documents

Book

Peripheral Arterial Disease

Michael R. Zemaitis et al.

Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have decreased lower extremity arterial perfusion which is commonly referred to as “poor circulation.” In most cases of PAD, atherosclerotic plaques narrow the arterial flow lumen which restricts blood flow to the distal extremity. Reduced blood flow can cause thigh or calf pain with walking due to temporary ischemia of the leg muscles during exertion. Walking pain from PAD is referred to as intermittent claudication which means “to limp.” Many patients with PAD have either no symptoms or atypical complaints that do not strictly conform to the definition of claudication. Others may develop limb-threatening compromise of blood flow, necessitating emergent surgery.

Making the diagnosis of PAD even in asymptomatic patients still, has a significant clinical impact because PAD acts as a marker for systemic atherosclerosis. Patients with PAD have an equivalent cardiovascular risk to patients with previous myocardial infarction and require aggressive risk factor modification to improve their long-term survival. The management of PAD varies depending on the disease severity and symptom status. Treatment options for PAD include lifestyle changes, cardiovascular risk factor reduction, pharmacotherapy, endovascular intervention, and surgery.

Copyright © 2025, StatPearls Publishing LLC.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Michael Zemaitis declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Julia Boll declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Mark Dreyer declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Sections

Similar articles

References

    1. Aysert Yıldız P, Özdil T, Dizbay M, Güzel Tunçcan Ö, Hızel K. Peripheral arterial disease increases the risk of multidrug-resistant bacteria and amputation in diabetic foot infections. Turk J Med Sci. 2018 Aug 16;48(4):845-850. - PubMed
    1. Yuksel A, Velioglu Y, Cayir MC, Kumtepe G, Gurbuz O. Current Status of Arterial Revascularization for the Treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia in Infrainguinal Atherosclerotic Disease. Int J Angiol. 2018 Sep;27(3):132-137. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tan MNA, Lo ZJ, Lee SH, Teo RM, Tan WLG, Chandrasekar S. Review of Transmetatarsal Amputations in the Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease in an Asian Population. Ann Vasc Dis. 2018 Jun 25;11(2):210-216. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Simon F, Oberhuber A, Floros N, Düppers P, Schelzig H, Duran M. Pathophysiology of chronic limb ischemia. Gefasschirurgie. 2018;23(Suppl 1):13-18. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jelani QU, Petrov M, Martinez SC, Holmvang L, Al-Shaibi K, Alasnag M. Peripheral Arterial Disease in Women: an Overview of Risk Factor Profile, Clinical Features, and Outcomes. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2018 Jun 02;20(8):40. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types