Preventing Peripheral Artery Disease

America’s population is aging and is contributing to the increasing health care costs in the country. One of the most prevalent conditions affecting America’s older population is Peripheral Artery Disease or PAD.

One in five people over age 60 has it - an estimated 8 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control. PAD is a narrowing of the arteries caused by a plaque buildup. This limits blood flow to your head, organs and limbs which can potentially be life threatening.

Symptoms and Complications

PAD can go undetected for years, slowly and silently developing in your body. UW Medicine Health has some very important information on what you can do to prevent PAD. The most common cause of PAD is hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. If the arteries that deliver blood to the legs are blocked, this will cause debilitating leg pain, ulcers and can lead to amputation. The most common cause of stroke is blocked arteries to the brain. And when PAD affects arteries to the kidneys, this can lead to severe high blood pressure and kidney failure.

Common risk factors include:
•    Older than 60
•    Ethnicity- more African Americans are affected
•    Family History
•    High Cholesterol
•    High Blood Pressure
•    High blood sugars and diabetes
•    Obesity
•    Smoking/History of Smoking

Treatment Options

In some cases, lifestyle changes are enough to improve the condition. If routine screenings of Peripheral Artery Disease for blood pressure, blood cholesterol, lipids and sugar levels show you are at risk for PAD, medications are often necessary. When medication does not work, surgery is needed to open up the arteries.

Endovascular Surgery

The doctors at South Florida Vascular Associates focus on vascular problems and treating them in minimally invasive ways. This rapidly growing area of medicine is known as interventional radiology. The minimally invasive techniques used by interventional radiologists often replace open surgical procedures. This means smaller incisions, less risk, less pain and shorter recovery time for patients.

At South Florida Vascular Associates, with offices in Coconut Creek, Boynton Beach and Plantation, we are very successful treating patients with PAD because we use the latest multidisciplinary approaches that treat the whole patient. Our patients are also treated in our unique office setting which has 3 sophisticated endovascular surgery suites where the majority of our patients are treated. SFVA is one of few interventional radiology practices in the US where patients can be treated in the comfort of an office setting.

If you’re suffering from PAD, the doctors at SFVA can help. Contact us today for an appointment - (954) 725-4141.