Peripheral vein disease is more commonly referred to as peripheral artery disease and the condition itself is a reason of blood circulation related problem when the poor blood circulation doesn’t enable enough blood flow all over the body, particularly towards the heart and limbs sections. Let’s see the causes the symptoms and the possible treatments for this disease.
The reasons: The reasons of peripheral artery disease often include the following: ï‚·Smoking ï‚·Fatty deposits in the arteries ï‚·Lack of exercise ï‚·Being overweight ï‚·Excessive water retention ï‚·Narrowed or clogged arteries
The symptoms: It’s important to note, that the symptoms of this disease often cannot be felt very particularly, only when the disease has turned more serious. The most common symptoms of this disease include the following:
Leg cramps particularly upper leg cramps especially after excessive walking, climbing or other sorts of exercise. Discomfort or overall “heavy†legs Cramping feeling in the hip section Cold legs, especially feet Sores on the legs which wouldn’t heal Slower growing toenails Hair loss on the legs or feet Weak pulse on the legs and feet Erectile dysfunction for men Numbness
These symptoms require medical care particularly if the patient has the following risk factors: ï‚·If you are over 50 and smoking ï‚·If you have a diabetes ï‚·If you have high blood pressure ï‚·If you are overweight ï‚·If you are over 65 ï‚·If you have a family history of the disease ( which is often inherited)
Preventative treatments: Everyone who has the risk of this condition is strongly advised to take the below steps to improve their condition and avoid the risk of any possible complications in the future:
Quit smoking For patients with diabetes, it’s advised to keep a very healthy diet to keep blood sugar levels under control Regular exercising: this can even include walking, riding a bicycle, doing yoga, stretching or even climbing the stairs, hiking and swimming. Eat a diet that’s low in cholesterol Avoid food which are overly salty and have low saturated fat levels Try to lose weight if you have unnecessary fat deposits.
Medical and Surgical treatments
The treatment of peripheral artery disease include the following methods:
Angioplasty: this surgery aims to create more space within the artery to enable heightened blood flow. The doctor inserts a tiny catheter inside the vein or artery and inflates it mildly to stop any blockage. With the help of a stent the artery can be made to remain open.
Bypass surgery: when the doctor use a healthy vessel from another part of the body or even a synthetic vessel to replace the damaged parts of the artery or simply bypass it, to enable blood flow and stop any blockage in the area.
None of these are hurtful and they won’t cause you being in pain. However they are pretty useful to do especially if your vein condition seems to get worse.
Don’t forget, while the symptoms would not show for a long while, untreated peripheral vein disease may even result in a stroke or a heart attack. Check out a San Diego vascular center near you, to learn more.