Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Number of Conditions: 2
Intermittent Claudication
Specialty: Cardiovascular
Category: Vascular Diseases
Sub-category: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Symptoms:
pain, cramping, or fatigue in the legs during exercise that resolves with rest.
Root Cause:
Reduced blood flow to the muscles due to peripheral artery disease (PAD).
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Ankle-brachial index (ABI), Doppler ultrasound, or angiography.
Treatment:
Lifestyle changes, supervised exercise programs, and, in severe cases, angioplasty or bypass surgery.
Medications:
Cilostazol (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor to improve walking distance) and antiplatelet agents like aspirin or clopidogrel .
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects approximately 10% of individuals over 55 years old.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and advanced age.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Manageable with lifestyle changes and medication; untreated cases may progress to critical limb ischemia.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Ulcers, gangrene, and potential limb loss.
Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI)
Specialty: Cardiovascular
Category: Vascular Diseases
Sub-category: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Symptoms:
persistent pain in the legs or feet, especially at rest, non-healing wounds or ulcers on the feet or toes, and gangrene (in severe cases).
Root Cause:
Severe obstruction of blood flow to the extremities due to advanced peripheral artery disease (PAD).
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Ankle-brachial index (ABI), Doppler ultrasound, CT or MR angiography, and clinical examination of ulcers and ischemic tissue.
Treatment:
Revascularization through angioplasty or bypass surgery, wound care, and, in severe cases, amputation.
Medications:
Antiplatelet agents (e.g., aspirin or clopidogrel ), anticoagulants (e.g., heparin ), and vasodilators (e.g., prostaglandins) to improve circulation.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects 1-2% of individuals with peripheral artery disease; higher in individuals with diabetes or smoking history.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, advanced age, and chronic kidney disease.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Poor without intervention; high risk of amputation and cardiovascular death within one year.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Tissue necrosis, infection, sepsis, and limb amputation.