Heart disease health centre

Peripheral vascular disease: Symptoms, causes, diagnosis, tests and treatments

Peripheral vascular disease overview

The circulatory system consists of two types of blood vessels: arteries and veins. These are tubular structures that carry the blood throughout the body. 

• Arteries carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to the organs and cells.
• Veins carry oxygen-depleted blood and waste through the kidneys, liver, and lungs, where waste is filtered out and removed from the body. The venous blood is then again filled with oxygen in the lungs and returned back to the heart.
• The two are interconnected by small web-like vessels called capillaries.
• Peripheral vascular disease refers to any disease or disorder of the circulatory system outside of the brain and heart.
• Although the term peripheral vascular disease can include any disorder that affects any of the blood vessels, it is often used as a synonym for peripheral artery disease.
• Peripheral vascular disease is a common disease of the arteries.
• It is caused by the build-up of fatty material within the vessels, called atherosclerosis.
• Another name for this condition is arteriosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries.
• This is a gradual process in which the artery gradually becomes blocked, narrowed, or weakened.
• When this condition affects the arteries of the heart, it is called coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease).

Atherosclerosis is known for affecting the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries) and the brain (carotid arteries). Of the peripheral arteries, those of the legs are most often affected. Other arteries frequently affected by atherosclerosis include those supplying blood to the kidneys or arms.

When an artery is blocked or narrowed, the part of the body supplied by that artery does not get enough blood/oxygen. Medical professionals call this ischaemia.

This can cause various symptoms depending on which organ system is affected. When it affects the legs, for example, the symptoms range from pain, cold feet, and bluish discolouration to stroke or gangrene; if it is not reversed, the body part affected is injured and eventually starts to die. It is important to detect the narrowed artery before damage occurs. The pulses in the arm or leg are decreased or absent, indicating a lack of arterial blood flow.

Peripheral vascular disease is a common condition in the UK, especially in people aged over 55 and smokers.

The combination of diabetes and smoking almost always results in more severe disease.

About half of people with peripheral vascular disease do not have symptoms. Of those who do, another half do not tell their doctors.

Many people seem to think that this is a normal part of ageing, and that nothing can be done, or that the only alternative is surgery. Today, however, surgery is only one of several effective treatments available for peripheral vascular disease.

Not smoking and treating peripheral vascular disease medically is the best way to prevent worsening of the condition or complications. This is especially true for patients with hypertension or diabetes, those with high cholesterol levels in the blood, and those who smoke.