A little-known disease that could be a ticking health time bomb may be revealed by changes on your feet, doctors have warned.
Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a serious condition in which narrowed or blocked arteries restrict blood flow to the legs and feet. Suffered by an estimated 21million Americans, the condition raises the risk of death from heart attack or stroke and is the leading cause of preventable limb amputations in the US.
Many patients do not have noticeable symptoms in the early stages, however, and often dismiss signs like discomfort, fatigue or pain in the legs as signs of aging.
But when the disease progresses, doctors warned Daily Mail that patients may have sores on the toes or feet that do not heal or only heal slowly, a warning sign of the condition.
Dr Mounir Haurani, a vascular surgeon at the Society for Vascular Surgery, told this website: ‘This is one of the signs of more advanced disease, and indicates a worsening limb-threatening problem such as developing tissue loss.
‘These sores will often start off as a small blister, but then progress into a crater or ulcer where the skin is open and there is exposed soft tissue underneath. It may be a pink or yellowish crater.’
He added: ‘They are often present on the nailbed and end of the toe, but the other place that people can have them is on the pads of the toes or foot.’
About one in 20 Americans suffer from the condition, estimates suggest, but three in four do not realize they have the disease.
Doctors are warning patients to be on the lookout for subtle changes in their feet that could indicate peripheral artery disease (stock image)
It tends to be diagnosed among those over 65 years old, with people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity or who smoke being most at risk.
Among patients, about 33 percent die within five years, estimates suggest, while 20 percent experience a heart attack or stroke and 150,000 suffer an amputation annually.
Dr Haurani added: ‘This disease is a very common problem in the US, and worldwide. It is a very large part of a vascular surgeon’s practice.
‘Often, we do manage to see patients before the non-healing wounds are present, but in my practice, here in North Carolina, I tend to see this symptom more often.’
Although the condition often does not trigger clear symptoms, in earlier stages, patients may lose hair on the lower leg and foot or that area may feel colder than other parts of the body.
Doctors warn that the foot may also appear paler or have lighter, shinier skin, while the calf muscle may also thin over time.
In later stages, the condition can also cause burning or cramping sensations in the toes and feet, as well as pain in the leg while at rest.
Doctors say early symptoms of the disease, like fatigue, can be shrugged off or mistaken for other signs like aging (stock image)
The disease progresses in two stages, with symptoms either advancing rapidly or taking months to move from early to late-stage warning signs.
To treat the disease, Dr Haurani said physicians may recommend lifestyle changes such as walking more, eating a healthy diet and quitting smoking.
In many cases, patients will also be offered surgery to widen arteries and fully restore blood flow to the lower part of the foot and the leg.
Patients may also be prescribed statins and cholesterol-lowering medications to reduce the risk of clots forming.
Dr Haurani added: ‘We estimated 70 percent of Americans have never heard of this disease, so just knowing what it is and that it exists as a problem are the first steps.
‘But it is important to say that, despite the risks, it can be managed operatively and patients can live a long, happy and healthy life with the disease as long as it is managed.’
Celebrity Phylicia Rashad, who played a leading role in The Cosby Cowboys, spoke publicly in 2007 about the impact the disease had on her family, saying she had eight family members, including her father and grandparents, who were diagnosed with the disease. Each died from a heart attack or a stroke.
The disease differs from varicose vein insufficiency, which President Donald Trump was diagnosed with, because peripheral artery disease affects the arteries rather than the veins.
Dr Haurani said it was possible to prevent the disease via walking just 20 to 30 minutes per day, eating a healthy diet and avoiding smoking.
The revelation came amid Peripheral Artery Disease Awareness Month.
Source link
