Causes of Peripheral Artery Disease

Causes of Peripheral Artery Disease
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Peripheral artery disease is a medical condition in which the blood flow to the limbs is reduced due to the arteries being narrowed. When a person develops this disease, their legs, and sometimes other extremities, do not get adequate blood flow. This results in a variety of symptoms, especially leg pain that occurs when the patient is walking. There are several different causes of peripheral artery disease.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of peripheral artery disease. This condition is characterized by plaque accumulating on the artery walls. This results in narrowing of the arteries. This also causes stiffening of the artery walls and the arteries not being able to dilate when they need to allow more blood to flow through. Complications may include:

  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Kidney disease
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Hypertension
  • Thoracic aortic aneurysm
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Mesenteric artery ischemia
  • Renal artery stenosis
  • Stroke

Coronary Heart Disease

This condition is characterized by the small blood vessels responsible for transporting oxygen and blood to the heart becoming narrowed. This condition is often secondary to atherosclerosis. Symptoms may include:

  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Fatigue with activity
  • Shortness of breath with activity
  • Weakness

Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition in which the patient experiences high blood-sugar levels. This condition can result from being resistant to insulin, not having enough insulin, or both of these. The three main types of diabetes include type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. In the United States, more than 20 million people suffer from diabetes. When blood sugar levels are high, patients may experience blurry vision, fatigue, hunger, being excessively thirsty, urinating frequently, and weight loss.

Smoking

Smoking is the biggest threat to artery health. Plaque formation is associated with inflammation and smoking causes this inflammation. As this plaque builds up, blood flow can become restricted due to narrowing. This then increases a patient’s chance of developing blood clots and peripheral artery disease.

High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure describes the force against arterial walls as blood is pumped throughout the body. In most cases, systolic pressure over 140 is high. In most cases, diastolic pressure over 90 is high. When a patient has high blood pressure they may experience confusion, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, vision changes, ear buzzing or noise, headache, and nosebleed.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Approximately 26 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease. This condition is not a single condition, but conditions that may reduce the kidney’s ability to function or damage the kidneys. Symptoms may include difficulty concentrating or dizziness, leg or flank pain, shortness of breath, feeling cold, nausea and vomiting, skin rash and itching, ammonia breath or a taste of metallic in the mouth, fatigue, changes in urination, and swelling.

Resources

American Heart Association. (2010). About Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Retrieved on November 16, 2010 from the American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/PeripheralArteryDisease/About-Peripheral-Artery-Disease-PAD_UCM_301301_Article.jsp

MayoClinic.com. (2010). Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Retrieved on November 16, 2010 from MayoClinic.com: https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-arterial-disease/DS00537