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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Peripheral artery disease is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs.
When you develop peripheral artery disease (PAD), your extremities — usually your legs — don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand. This causes symptoms, most notably leg pain when walking (intermittent claudication).
Peripheral artery disease is also likely to be a sign of a more widespread accumulation of fatty deposits in your arteries (atherosclerosis). This condition may be reducing blood flow to your heart and brain, as well as your legs.
Often, you can successfully treat peripheral artery disease by quitting tobacco, exercising and eating a healthy diet.
- Peripheral artery disease. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec07/ch080/ch080f.html. Accessed Feb. 8, 2010.
- Peripheral artery disease. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pad/pad_all.html. Accessed Feb. 6, 2010.
- Mohler III ER. Clinical features, diagnosis, and natural history of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 29, 2010.
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD). Society for Vascular Surgery. http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Leg_Artery_Disease.html. Accessed Feb. 6, 2010.
- Hankey GJ. Medical treatment of peripheral artery disease. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006;295:547.
- Peripheral vascular disease. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4692. Accessed Feb. 6, 2010.
- Hirsch AT, et al. ACC/AHA 2005 guidelines for the management of patients with peripheral arterial disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2006;47:e1.
- Langlois M, et al. Serum vitamin C concentration is low in peripheral arterial disease and is associated with inflammation and severity of atherosclerosis. Circulation. 2001;103:1863.
- Lane JS, et al. Nutrition impacts the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in the United States. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 2008;48:897.
- Kuller LH. Does gingko biloba reduce the risk of cardiovascular events? Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2010;3:41.
- Anderson CF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Rochester, Minn. Feb. 9, 2010.
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