Why Peripheral Artery Disease Needs More Attention

The useful part

By Matthew Ades, Anthony Sandre and Sonia Anand Pain in your legs when you walk may seem like a normal part of getting older. It can be a warning sign that the arteries carrying blood to your legs are becoming blocked: a condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD). If these blockages become severe, blood flow to the leg can suddenly be cut off, causing what is sometimes described as a "heart attack of the leg." The PAD burden is also not shared equally.

How it works

• As physicians working in vascular medicine, we regularly care for people with PAD and see the consequences when the disease is recognized too late.
• The plan focuses on six areas: awareness, earlier diagnosis, better treatment and care pathways, Indigenous-led care, research and advocacy.
• Together with colleagues affiliated with the Canadian Society of Vascular Medicine and Prevention, we developed the Canadian National Action Plan for Peripheral Artery Disease, a road map for improving how...
• People who smoke and have diabetes have the greatest risk of PAD, and it disproportionately affects those living on lower incomes, those in rural and remote communities, Indigenous Peoples and other...
• That's because these groups often face greater barriers to preventive care, diagnosis and vascular specialists, which — because of delayed care — results in worse outcomes, like amputation.