Guide To The Causes And Risk Factors For Peripheral Vascular Disease

Peripheral vascular disease is a blood vessel disorder where the blood vessels outside the brain and heart become too narrow to allow for proper blood flow. It may produce symptoms such as claudication, hair loss on the legs, leg cramps, pale or blue legs and arms, weak pulses in the legs and feet, ulcers that won't heal on the legs, blue-colored toes, thick opaque toenails, muscle numbness, and heavy muscles. Peripheral vascular disease is diagnosed with the use of doppler ultrasound, angiography, CT angiography, ankle-brachial index, and magnetic resonance angiography. Treatment of peripheral vascular disease focuses on maintaining a normal activity level, preventing complications, and managing pain. Medication may be used to help the blood flow through the vessels more efficiently, and surgery may be needed in cases with severe artery blockages.

Peripheral vascular disease has several causes and risk factors. Get familiar with them now.

Cold Temperatures

An individual who is very sensitive to cold temperatures and is exposed to cold temperatures frequently may develop peripheral vascular disease. Peripheral vascular disease is characterized by a condition called atherosclerosis, and the plaque buildup in the arteries is what causes the general narrowing of the blood vessels because it leaves less space for the blood to move through. While this mechanism alone can cause a patient to develop peripheral vascular disease, other risk factors can cause even mild atherosclerosis in the limbs to progress into peripheral vascular disease. When the blood vessels come into contact with heat, they are known to dilate. When blood vessels come in contact with colder temperatures, their natural tendency is to constrict. Blood vessels that are already partially lined with plaques can become completely obstructed when they come into contact with very cold temperatures because the vessel constriction closes any space left for blood to pass through.

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High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is defined as the force of the blood against the blood vessel walls as it is moving through them. High blood pressure over an extended duration can cause the blood vessels to incur damage, and thus, an individual with high blood pressure is at an increased risk of developing peripheral vascular disease. When blood vessels incur damage to their lining or endothelium, they become more penetrable and allow cholesterol and other fatty substances to enter into the affected individual's bloodstream. The entry of the fatty substances into the blood vessel walls triggers the immune system, which sends an influx of immune components to the site where the fatty substances have entered the vessel walls and cause further collection and calcification of these substances. The plaque sticks to the endothelium throughout the blood vessels with the help of the inflammatory response of the body, ultimately resulting in atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can move into the arteries that supply the limbs, which is how peripheral vascular disease develops.

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