| You walk a block, then clutch your leg with what | | | | history of vascular disease, heart attack or |
| feels like a charley horse. You stop, and the pain | | | | stroke. An estimated 8 to 12 million people in this |
| does too. The discomfort may be a warning of a | | | | country have PAD. |
| common yet serious condition called peripheral | | | | If you have risk factors, talk to your doctor, |
| arterial disease (PAD). | | | | whether or not you have symptoms. The PAD |
| In PAD, the same fatty material that can clog | | | | Coalition, a consortium of health organizations and |
| heart arteries builds up in the arteries of the legs, | | | | government agencies, recommends that those at |
| blocking blood flow. The risk for death from heart | | | | risk get a quick, painless, accurate and inexpensive |
| attack or stroke is six to seven times greater in | | | | diagnostic test called an ABI (ankle-brachial index). |
| people with PAD is equivalent to the risk of | | | | The good news: PAD is both preventable and is |
| someone who has had a heart attack or stroke. | | | | very treatable. "PAD is a common and serious |
| Without prompt treatment, one in four people | | | | disease, which merits immediate and lifelong |
| with the condition will suffer a heart attack, | | | | attention," says Dr. Hirsch. "Become informed and |
| stroke or amputation or die within five years. | | | | take actions to protect your health." Arms for |
| PAD is most often recognized when it causes | | | | Legs While exercise is helpful for people with PAD, |
| claudication and fatigue, cramps, tiredness or pain | | | | walking is a typical workout for sufferers but can |
| in the leg or buttock muscles that goes away | | | | also be painful. Diane Treat-Jacobson, R.N., Ph.D., |
| when you stop walking. Less frequently, it can | | | | assistant professor at the University of Minnesota |
| cause ulcers or slow-healing wounds on the feet | | | | in Minneapolis, has done studies on the effects of |
| or toes, or pain in the feet or toes that disturbs | | | | exercise on people with this disease. |
| sleep. However, as many as half to two thirds of | | | | She recently discovered that supervised training |
| those with the condition have no symptoms. | | | | using aerobic arm exercise was as beneficial as |
| As with coronary heart disease, key risk factors | | | | treadmill walking in improving walking distance. |
| for PAD are having diabetes, smoking or having | | | | Treat-Jacobson notes that while results are |
| smoked, and being over age 50. "If you have no | | | | preliminary, arm exercise might be a pain-free |
| other risk factors, age alone will increase risk and | | | | option that can "help break the cycle of disability |
| yet risk rapidly increases even in younger people | | | | or enable patients to start exercising sooner after |
| who smoke or have diabetes," says Alan T. | | | | a surgical procedure." |
| Hirsch, M.D., professor of epidemiology at the | | | | Remember that peripheral arterial disease is both |
| University of Minnesota School of Public Health in | | | | preventable and very treatable, but it is a a |
| Minneapolis. "We want people to recognize that if | | | | common and serious disease which merits your |
| you are over 50 and have any other risk factor, | | | | attention if you have any of the symptoms |
| you have a one in four chance of having this | | | | addressed in this article. |
| disease." | | | | It is up to you to become informed about this |
| Also at risk are African Americans and anyone | | | | disease and take active action to protect your |
| with chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, | | | | health. |
| high blood cholesterol or a personal or family | | | | |