Peripheral Vascular Disease Specialist

What is peripheral vascular disease?

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is an umbrella term for conditions affecting the blood vessels that don’t service your heart. Types of PVD include:

• Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)
• Carotid artery disease
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

PVD can develop in your arteries, veins, or capillaries and is especially common in the legs. PVD reduces or sometimes prevents blood flow, starving your body of vital oxygen and nutrients.

What causes peripheral vascular disease?

Peripheral vascular disease is commonly due to plaque buildup. Plaque forms from cholesterol and waste products in your blood that come together and stick to the walls of your blood vessels. 

This causes narrowing and eventual hardening. Clots can also form that may break off and travel to vital organs like your brain or lungs.

Your risk of developing PVD rises after the age of 70. Other risk factors for developing PVD include:

• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Heart disease
• Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol)

A family history of PAD, DVT, or CAD (coronary artery disease) also increases your risk of developing PVD.

What symptoms does peripheral vascular disease cause?

Symptoms of peripheral vascular disease stem from reduced blood circulation, which can cause:

• Heavy, aching limbs
• Hair loss from your limbs
• Slow-healing wounds
• Erectile dysfunction
• Numbness or tingling in the limbs
• Spider or varicose veins
• Shiny, dry, or itchy skin
• Discolored skin
• Weak pulses in your feet or legs

Symptoms can vary depending on the type of PVD you have. For instance, a DVT might cause intense leg pain and swelling, while PAD causes claudication – pain when walking that eases up when you stop.

If you have symptoms of PVD, your provider at Cardiac Care Consultants can order diagnostic studies such as a venous Doppler scan, arterial duplex study, or carotid artery ultrasound to determine the cause and severity of your condition.

How is peripheral vascular disease treated?

Treatment is dependent on the type of peripheral vascular disease you have but may include:

Lifestyle changes

Losing weight, exercising more, stopping smoking, and eating a healthy diet can all improve the health of your cardiovascular system.

Medications

Medicines may be necessary to reduce your blood pressure or cholesterol levels. You might need clot-busting drugs if you have a blood clot, and anticoagulation management is likely to be necessary to prevent further clots from forming.

CVI treatments

CVI causes varicose veins, which are treatable using sclerotherapy or endovenous ablation.

Balloon angioplasty

Angioplasty is a minimally invasive catheterization technique used to flatten plaque. Your provider may also fit a stent (small mesh tube) into the affected blood vessels to keep them open.

Endarterectomy

Endarterectomy is a minimally invasive catheterization procedure in which your provider removes plaque from your blood vessels.

Atherectomy

Atherectomy is the removal of a damaged or ineffective blood vessel.

Peripheral vascular disease causes chronic problems that worsen over time. They make you vulnerable to serious complications such as stroke, pulmonary embolism, leg ulcers, gangrene, and amputation, so prompt diagnosis and treatment are vital.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of peripheral vascular disease, call Cardiac Care Consultants today or book an appointment online.