Peripheral arterial disease examined

Today, one in five in the 65 to 75-year-old age group in the UK1 has peripheral arterial disease (PAD), also known as peripheral vascular disease, on clinical examination. Healthcare professionals have a significant role to play in preventing the escalation of this disease by ensuring early diagnosis, providing patients with advice on risk-factor modification and managing patients with an appropriate treatment. Although prevalence of PAD in primary care practices is high, it is commonly under-diagnosed. This is due to many doctors not obtaining a relevant history for PAD and frequently overlooking subtle signs of the condition on physical examination.2

What are the symptoms?

Today, only a quarter of the one in five 65 to 75-year-olds have any symptoms at all. The “silent” nature of this condition, along with the overall increasing age of the population and the escalating incidence of risk factors for PAD, lead to concern that PAD may become one of the leading diseases of this century. One of the more common indicators of PAD is extreme leg pain caused by walking or exercising, as many as 40% of people with PAD never complain of this symptom2 – and those who do often mistake the discomfort for ageing pains and fail to seek treatment, allowing the condition to worsen. PAD is highly treatable in its early stages, but as the disease remains undiagnosed, the likelihood of facing complications greatly increases, as does the probability of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. Symptoms to look for and discuss with patients when making a diagnosis of PAD include: