Few Americans Aware of Dangerous Peripheral Arterial Disease
10/12/2007 For Immediate Release: October 9, 2007
Three out of four people aren’t aware of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a common and dangerous vascular disease that affects approximately 8 million Americans, according to a new study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The disease occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits, reducing blood flow to the legs. This can result in leg muscle pain when walking and disability, amputation and a poor quality of life. Blocked arteries found in people with PAD can be a warning sign that other arteries, including those in the heart and brain, may also be blocked – increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
“One in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has Peripheral Artery Disease,” said Dr. Barry Zadeh of Norwalk Cardiac, Thoracic and Endovascular Therapies in Norwalk and a member of the national P.A.D. Coalition. “It is important if you experience symptoms, such as pain or cramping in the legs, that you let your primary care physician know. You may have PAD and not know it.”
In a cross-sectional, population-based telephone survey of 2,501 adults over age 50, researchers found that public awareness of PAD (25 percent) is markedly lower than for other cardiovascular diseases such as stroke (74 percent), coronary artery disease (67 percent) and heart failure (67 percent). Yet, the risk for PAD is equal to or greater than the risk for these conditions, according to the Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition.
Few Americans know that having PAD significantly increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, amputation and death, the survey showed. Only one in four adults who were familiar with PAD associate the disease with an increased risk of heart attack; only 28 percent associate PAD with an increased risk of stroke; and only 14 percent link PAD with either amputation or death.
PAD affects both women and men and can strike adults of any age. The risk of PAD is increased in people over age 50, particularly in smokers and former smokers, and in people with diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, a personal history of heart disease or stroke, and in African Americans.
“Every day that PAD is undetected and untreated, we permit preventable heart attacks, strokes and death to occur,” Dr. Zadeh said. “PAD can either represent a tragedy waiting to happen or the single best opportunity for this nation to take preventative steps to save limbs and lives.”
Dr. Zadeh, a specialist in cardiovascular and endovascular medicine, will offer the community two free PAD screenings in October and November using ultrasound technology. In Norwalk, screenings will be available on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Carriage House of Fisher-Titus, Garden Level Community Room. Parking is available on Fisher-Titus Parkway off Shady Lane Drive, Norwalk. In Bellevue, Dr. Zadeh will offer screenings on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 815 Northwest St., Medical Building B, Lower Level Conference Center (behind the old Bellevue Hospital). Times are flexible, but appointments are needed.
For more information or to schedule an appointment for the free screening, call 419-663-0405.
Dr. Zadeh is a member of the medical staffs at Fisher-Titus Medical Center and the Bellevue Hospital.
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