Importance of PAD Awareness

If you or someone you know may be suffering from Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), it is critically important to be evaluated by a medical professional. The American Endovascular affiliated team of physicians is at the forefront of the detection and treatment of PAD. Our array of minimally invasive-image guided treatment options can restore blood flow and get you on the road to a healthier, happier life. In this interview, Dr. Abadir explains the importance of PAD awareness and what you need to know about peripheral artery disease. 

What Do You Feel Is Most Important for Patients to Understand About PAD?

September is Peripheral Artery Disease Awareness Month, and many patients and even physicians have not essentially heard of peripheral artery disease. It is far under-diagnosed in the community, and many primary care physicians have not been trained in the signs and symptoms of peripheral artery disease.

It’s estimated that greater than 60% of cases go undiagnosed, and therefore it’s important for you sometimes to take your care into your own hands. If you have pain in your legs or pain at rest at night, when walking, or other issues with your legs or open sores on your legs that just won’t heal up, that’s a sign of Peripheral Artery Disease and you should get screened.

What are the Risk Factors of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), and Can It Lead to other Health Issues?

There are essentially four risk factors for peripheral artery disease. One that you can’t modify is just your genetics. If you have a strong family history of Peripheral Artery Disease, then it’s worth considering whether or not you may be affected as well.

The three modifiable risk factors are high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.

Smoking is a very modifiable risk factor — difficult for many people to quit, but it is the easiest thing and the most comprehensive thing you can do to improve your potential risk for Peripheral Artery Disease as well as other diseases of the heart, kidneys, and brain.

High blood pressure can be well controlled with medicines. If you can maintain normal healthy blood pressure, that will decrease the damage to your arteries in the long term.

Diabetes, again, is another damaging disease for the blood vessels. Good sugar control for diabetes is important for long-term management.

Why Is It Important to Get a PAD Screening?

American Endovascular physicians are experts in the diagnosis and management of peripheral artery disease, which is important to know because it also can be a sign and symptom of other diseases in your body. Peripheral arterial disease is clogging of the arteries to your legs primarily, but it can also affect other organs in your body, including your kidneys, your heart, and your brain. Therefore the diagnosis in one area would lead to an investigation of other areas that can also be very serious, increasing the risk of strokes, heart attacks, or other problems in the body.

Since it’s important to be screened for peripheral artery disease, we’re happy to be offering free screenings at American Endovascular in Fishkill, New York, during the month of September, which is PAD Awareness Month. We’re hoping that this makes it easy for patients to be able to be seen and get a diagnosis of peripheral artery disease in a timely fashion.

How Can American Endovascular Help with the Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease?

We are involved in all aspects of peripheral artery disease, both in diagnosis and treatment. For patients who are suspected of peripheral artery disease, we would like them to come in and be seen by one of our physicians and determine if they have signs and symptoms of peripheral artery disease. These can then be confirmed with ultrasound tests to confirm the presence or absence of PAD.

Once we’ve established the diagnosis, we are experts in the management of peripheral artery disease through endovascular techniques. These are techniques that are not open surgery. By going through the existing arteries, we can open them up either by removing the cholesterol plaque, opening them with balloons, or sometimes even placing stents to hold open the arteries and to maintain blood supply to your legs to keep them pain-free and healthy and reduce the risk of amputation in the future.

Schedule an Appointment with Dr. Abadir

If you have signs of PAD, schedule an appointment with Dr. Abadir at Fishkill Endovascular to discuss your symptoms and treatment options.