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Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects millions of people in the
United States, most of whom are not aware that they have the disease. PAD
interferes with one's lifestyle by decreasing walking ability (it affects the
limbs) and affecting cardiovascular health. Left untreated, PAD increases the
risk of heart attack, stroke, amputation of lower extremity limbs, and death. A
patient with PAD has about five times the risk of dying of a heart attack or
stroke over the next ten years as the patient who does not have peripheral
arterial disease.
Like
coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral arterial disease is a form of
atherosclerosis – a progressive disease that involves the hardening and
narrowing of the arteries due to a gradual buildup of plaque (fatty deposits).
Whereas CAD involves the coronary arteries, PAD occurs in the hundreds of
arteries outside of the heart (called peripheral arteries).
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