What is the difference between coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease?

Category: medical health heart and cardiovascular diseases
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PAD is similar to coronary artery disease (CAD)
Peripheral artery disease is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries serving the legs, stomach, arms and head. (“Peripheral” in this case means away from the heart, in the outer regions of the body.) Both PAD and coronary artery disease (CAD) are caused by atherosclerosis.



Then, what is the difference between peripheral artery disease and peripheral vascular disease?

> People with Peripheral Vascular Disease have problems that alter blood flow through both the arteries and veins. Those people with peripheral artery disease have problems only with blood flow through the arteries.

One may also ask, what is the difference between DVT and PAD? Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) In PAD, plaque builds up in the arteries. Over time, it can block blood flow to your arms and legs. When this condition affects veins instead of arteries, it's called peripheral vascular disease (PVD). It can cause DVT.

Also know, is peripheral artery disease a cardiovascular disease?

Peripheral artery disease (also called peripheral arterial disease) is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs. When you develop peripheral artery disease (PAD), your extremities — usually your legs — don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand.

What causes peripheral vascular disease?

Causes of Peripheral Vascular Disease. The most common cause of PVD is peripheral artery disease, which is due to atherosclerosis. Fatty material builds up inside the arteries and mixes with calcium, scar tissue, and other substances. The mixture hardens slightly, forming plaques.

37 Related Question Answers Found

Should you elevate your legs if you have PAD?

When PAD becomes severe, you may have: Impotence. Pain and cramps at night. Pain that is worse when you elevate your legs, and improves when you dangle your legs over the side of the bed.

What is the best treatment for peripheral artery disease?

Your doctor may prescribe daily aspirin therapy or another medication, such as clopidogrel (Plavix). Symptom-relief medications. The drug cilostazol increases blood flow to the limbs both by keeping the blood thin and by widening the blood vessels.

Can you reverse peripheral artery disease?

Treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD) focuses on reducing symptoms and preventing further progression of the disease. In most cases, lifestyle changes, exercise and claudication medications are enough to slow the progression or even reverse the symptoms of PAD.

What are the 6 P's of peripheral vascular disease?

History and Physical. The classic presentation of limb ischemia is known as the "six Ps," pallor, pain, paresthesia, paralysis, pulselessness, and poikilothermia. These clinical manifestations can occur anywhere distal to the occlusion.

Do compression socks help peripheral artery disease?


These drugs will not alleviate symptoms of PAD or arrest its progression, but they can reduce the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events by preventing the formation of blood clots in narrowed arteries. Don't wear compression stockings. Compression stockings further impede blood flow in people with PAD.

How do they fix peripheral vascular disease?

Examples of medications used to treat peripheral artery disease include antiplatelet or anticlotting agents, cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins, medications that increase blood supply to the extremities such as cilostazol (Pletal) and pentoxifylline (Trental), and medications that control high blood pressure.

What is the prognosis of peripheral artery disease?

Severe PAD usually requires angioplasty or surgical bypass and may require amputation. Prognosis is generally good with treatment, although mortality rate is relatively high because coronary artery or cerebrovascular disease often coexists.

What happens if pad goes untreated?

If left untreated, patients with PAD can develop serious health problems, including: Heart attack: permanent damage to the heart muscle caused by a lack of blood supply to the heart for an extended time. Stroke: interruption of the blood flow to the brain.

What are the stages of PAD?

Classification Schemes
Stage I No symptoms
Stage IIa Intermittent claudication >200 m of walking distance (mild)
Stage IIb Intermittent claudication <200 m of walking distance (moderate to severe)
Stage 3 Rest pain
Stage 4 Necrosis/gangrene

What is the fastest way to remove plaque from arteries?


Eat a heart-healthy diet
  1. Add more good fats to your diet. Good fats are also called unsaturated fats.
  2. Cut sources of saturated fat, such as fatty meat and dairy. Choose lean cuts of meat, and try eating more plant-based meals.
  3. Eliminate artificial sources of trans fats.
  4. Increase your fiber intake.
  5. Cut back on sugar.

What are the warning signs of clogged arteries?

Do clogged arteries cause any symptoms?
  • Chest pain.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Heart palpitations.
  • Weakness or dizziness.
  • Nausea.
  • Sweating.

Does peripheral artery disease affect both legs?

Symptoms of peripheral arterial disease
The pain can range from mild to severe, and usually goes away after a few minutes when you rest your legs. Both legs are often affected at the same time, although the pain may be worse in 1 leg. Other symptoms of PAD can include: hair loss on your legs and feet.

What does vascular pain feel like?

Vascular pain is pain that is caused as a result of interruption of blood flow to a tissue or muscles. If you are experiencing lack of circulation, pain, or heaviness in certain areas, you might be having vascular pain. There also may be numbness, weakness, or a tingling feeling in the affected area.

Does pad cause fatigue?

Peripheral artery disease symptoms
Patients usually experience it as a cramp-like muscular discomfort, but PAD can also produce numbness, tingling, weakness, or fatigue. It occurs when blockages are so severe that muscles can't get enough oxygen when they're at rest.

What is the most common vascular disease?


The most common vascular diseases are stroke, peripheral artery disease (PAD), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), carotid artery disease (CAD), arteriovenous malformation (AVM), critical limb ischemia (CLI), pulmonary embolism (blood clots), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), and varicose

What organs are affected by peripheral artery disease?

This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. P.A.D. usually affects the arteries in the legs, but it also can affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your head, arms, kidneys, and stomach. This article focuses on P.A.D. that affects blood flow to the legs.

How do you test for PAD?

Physical Exam
  1. check your ankle-brachial index (ABI) — a quick, painless, non-invasive test that compares the blood pressure in your arms and legs to determine if you have PAD.
  2. listen with a stethoscope for any abnormal sounds of turbulent blood flow in your legs that may indicate a narrow or blocked artery.