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Peripheral Arterial Disease Research Paper

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Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects 20% of adults over the age of 55 in the United States1. Research has found that this disease strongly correlates with the prevalence of myocardial infractions, strokes, and other vascular problems that result in death. With an increase in survival rates among Americans in general there will likely be more patients who are living with peripheral arterial disease. Primary care physicians currently under-diagnose PAD, which limits the options to manage this disease with secondary preventative measures2. In order to manage and prevent the effects of this disease it is important to understand the pathology, incidence, etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, prognosis, and the treatment options for …show more content…

When peripheral arteries begin to narrow there is a reduction of blood flow through the body. The tissues that these arteries supply begin to compensate for the lack of oxygen through vasodilation of these vessels or collateral sprouting of new vessels1. Lack of fresh oxygenated blood leads to ischemia and the tissues supplied by the narrowed vessels begin to die. The main factor that causes this disease development is atherosclerosis, which is a build-up of plaque in these peripheral arterial beds cause by lipids in the blood steam narrowing the lumens of these vessels3. The most common peripheral arteries affected by this disease process are those of the lower extremity which present in 90% of those diagnosed with PAD1. When the plaque builds up on the walls of arteries it not only narrows the blood vessels but the plaque begins to harden the walls of the arteries. It is the narrowing and hardening of peripheral arteries that contributes to reduction of blood flow and a built up of cellular wastes in the …show more content…

Those who have peripheral arterial disease are 46% to 71% more likely to have coronary artery disease, depending on the study, which dramatically influences the success of interventions4. Since this is a slow progressive disease it is hard to give a definitive timeline as to how long a person can survive with PAD. The severity of the disease and dedication to interventions all play a role in the prognosis. Studies have shown that long-term survival is rare in patients with peripheral arterial disease since it has common comorbidities with coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease3. Death in patients who have PAD is usually the result of the two previous comorbidities in conjunction with the complications that arise from peripheral arterial disease. Only 10% of patient death is the result of a vascular problem such as an aortic aneurysm, while 55% is related to CAD and 10% related to

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