The circulatory system consists of 2 types of blood vessels: arteries and veins. These are tubular structures that carry the blood throughout the body.
Arteries carry oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to the organs and cells.
Veins carry oxygen-depleted blood and wastes through the kidneys, liver, and lungs, where wastes are filtered out and removed from the body. The venous blood is then again filled with oxygen in the lungs and returned back to the heart.
The 2 are interconnected by small weblike vessels called capillaries.
Peripheral vascular disease refers to any disease or disorder of the circulatory system outside of the brain and heart.
Although the term peripheral vascular disease can include any disorder that affects any of the blood vessels, it often is used as a synonym for peripheral artery disease.
Peripheral vascular disease is the most common disease of the arteries.
It is caused by build-up of fatty material within the vessels, called atherosclerosis.
Another name for this condition is arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
This is gradual process in which the artery gradually becomes blocked, narrowed, or weakened.
When this condition affects the arteries of the heart, it is called coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease).
Atherosclerosis is known for affecting the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries) and the brain (carotid arteries). Of the peripheral arteries, those of the legs are most often affected. Other arteries frequently affected by atherosclerosis include those supplying blood to the kidneys or arms.
When an artery is blocked or narrowed, the part of the body supplied by that artery does not get enough blood/oxygen. Medical professionals call this ischemia.
This can cause various symptoms depending on which organ system is affected. The symptoms range from pain, cold feet, and bluish discoloration to stroke or gangrene; if it is not reversed, the body part affected is injured and eventually starts to die. It is important to detect the narrowed artery before damage occurs. The pulses in the arm or leg are decreased or absent, indicating a lack of arterial blood flow.
Peripheral vascular disease is a very common condition in the United States.
It occurs mostly in people older than 50 years. Peripheral vascular disease is a leading cause of disability among people older than 50 years and in those with diabetes.
About 10 million people in the United States have peripheral vascular disease, which translates to about 5% of people older than 50 years.
The number of people with the condition is expected to grow as the population ages.
Men are slightly more likely than women to have peripheral vascular disease.
Peripheral vascular disease is more common in smokers, and the combination of diabetes and smoking almost always results in more severe disease.
About half of people with peripheral vascular disease do not have symptoms. Of those who do, another half do not tell their health care providers.
Many people seem to think that this is a normal part of aging, and that nothing can be done or that the only alternative is surgery. Today, however, surgery is only one of several effective treatments available for peripheral vascular disease.
Treating peripheral vascular disease medically is the best way to prevent worsening of the condition or complications. This is especially true for patients with hypertension or diabetes, those with high fats or lipids in the blood, and those who smoke.
Only about half of the individuals with peripheral vascular disease have symptoms. Almost always, symptoms are caused by the leg muscles not getting enough blood. Whether you have symptoms depends partly on which artery is affected and to what extent blood flow is restricted.
The most common symptom of peripheral vascular disease in the legs is pain in one or both calves, thighs, or hips.
The pain usually occurs while you are walking or climbing stairs and stops when you rest. This is because the muscles' demand for blood increases during walking and other exercise. The narrowed or blocked arteries cannot supply more blood, so the muscles are deprived of oxygen and other nutrients. This pain is called intermittent (comes and goes) claudication.
It is usually a dull, cramping pain. It may also feel like a heaviness, tightness, or tiredness in the muscles of the legs.
Cramps in the legs have several causes, but cramps that start with exercise and stop with rest most likely are due to intermittent claudication. When the blood vessels in the legs are completely blocked, leg pain at night is very typical, and the individual almost always hangs his or her feet down to ease the pain. Hanging the legs down allows for blood to passively flow into the distal part of the legs.
Other symptoms of peripheral vascular disease include the following:
Buttock pain
Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs
Burning or aching pain in the feet or toes while resting
A sore on a leg or a foot that will not heal
One or both legs or feet feel cold or change color (pale, bluish, dark reddish)
Loss of hair on the legs
Impotence
Having symptoms while at rest is a sign of more severe disease.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/peripheral_vascular_disease/page3_em.htm
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4692
http://sciencedaily.healthology.com/tpc_vascular/focusarea.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000170.htm
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic862.htm