By Sylvia Wood, Albany Times Union
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Some 8 million Americans, most of them over the
age of 50, have peripheral vascular disease, or PVD, which is
characterized by intense pain in the legs and calves. Many people
confuse the symptoms with arthritis, muscle spasms or being out of
shape.
But PVD is potentially more dangerous than many of the aches and
pains that people associate with aging.
That's because the disease is caused by the same hardening of
the arteries that occurs when people suffer from heart disease only
it affects the arteries in the legs.
The immediate result is pain as the legs gasp for air. Left
untreated, PVD can require amputation, or in extreme causes, be
fatal.
``A lot of people don't know about it,'' said Dr. John Fulco, a
vascular interventional radiologist at St. Clare's Hospital in
Schenectady. ``There's a lot of misconceptions.''
This month, more than 500 hospitals across the country are
hosting free screenings to identify people at risk for the disease.
The screenings are part of a national awareness campaign known as
``Legs for Life.''
```Legs for Life' is designed to catch peripheral vascular
disease early, when it is very treatable,'' said Dr. Rodney Raabe
of the Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology,
which is sponsoring the event.
Anyone who has heart disease should be screened for PVD, but
others at risk include people who smoke, have diabetes, high blood
pressure or high cholesterol.
Although the disease shows up most commonly as pain in the legs,
sometimes it will occur as lower back or buttocks pain.
The legs may also feel numb, tingling, cold or swollen.
Sometimes you'll notice a sore or an ulcer that just won't heal.
Other times, the pain will come at night in bed, when your foot or
toe turns a lobster red.
``It will wake the patient up,'' Fulco said. ``They get relief
by sitting up and hanging the leg over the bed.''
When caught early, PVD can often be treated through lifestyle
changes or oral medications that actually help the red blood cells
squeeze through damaged arteries.
Dr. Kyran Dowling at the Albany Medical Center stresses the
importance of exercise for those who are still well enough.
Regular walking can ease the symptoms of PVD by improving
circulation in the legs and creating new ways for the oxygen to
travel around the blockages and into the muscles and tissues.
``The whole body benefits,'' he said.
For people with more serious disease, physicians can use some of
the same techniques they use to treat heart disease, including
opening up the blocked vessels with balloon catheters or stents.
One out of every five patients with PVD may require bypass
surgery to reroute blood flow around the blockage. Since having PVD
and heart disease increases your risk of stroke and heart attack,
the best strategy remains prevention.
``Stop smoking, get regular exercise and if you're diabetic,
you've got to keep your diet under control,'' Fulco said.
