Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment

Peripheral artery disease, also known as PAD, is a dangerous condition that can lead to life-threatening heart disease. A partially or fully blocked artery is a cause of poor circulation, which has direct implications on your quality of life. But there are PAD treatments to correct or overcome this vein disease. If your case is mild enough, you may only need lifestyle or diet changes. While surgery is sometimes the most appropriate solution, it’s always the last treatment to use. Ask an expert like Dr. George Bolotin of the Astra Vein Treatment Center in Brooklyn, New York and Bronx, New York. Don’t wait for your condition to worsen.

What Is Peripheral Artery Disease?

Peripheral artery disease, also called PAD, is a circulation problem caused by the narrowing of your arteries. Symptoms of the disease include a loss of leg hair, an ulcer or open wound on your leg or even just cool or thinning leg skin. You can treat PAD with a combination of remedies, including:

• Careful at-home care
• Lifestyle changes
• Medications
• Surgery or angioplasty as a last resort

A narrowing of the arteries is often caused by a condition called atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty deposits in your arteries that reduces blood flow. It can lead to pain in your limbs from not receiving proper blood circulation. Dr. George Bolotin of the Astra Vein Treatment Center is an expert Interventional Radiologist who specializes in vein care in Brooklyn and Bronx. He’s qualified to diagnose your condition and provide PAD treatment options.

Which Medications Treat PAD?

Medications as a peripheral artery disease treatment primarily address symptoms, although some treat underlying conditions that contribute to your diagnosis of PAD. Your vein doctor may recommend medications to control concurrent diagnoses that make your PAD worse, such as:

• High blood pressure, which places additional stress on your arteries and kidneys, while making your diabetes worse
• High cholesterol, since high levels of cholesterol further clog your arteries and veins
• Diabetes and high blood sugar, a condition that impedes the regular functioning of your circulatory and immune systems
• Blood clots, which can get caught in arteries that have narrowed, increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke

The best vein doctor in Brooklyn and Bronx knows that PAD symptoms can be controlled with medications like blood thinners to improve blood flow and reduce limb pain. Dr. Bolotin may even prescribe over-the-counter medications for the leg aches and pains that result from peripheral artery disease.

What Can I Do at Home to Decrease PAD Symptoms?

As with many health conditions, some modifications to your lifestyle can make you feel better. In this case, getting plenty of sleep and eating heart-healthy meals can ease your PAD symptoms. Some other things you can do at home to improve your overall quality of life include:

• Quit smoking. If you are African American, your risk for getting PAD is higher than average if you smoke. Quitting smoking is the number one thing you can do to improve your health.
• Lose weight. Sometimes, losing even just three percent of your weight can lower your risk of diabetes, improve your circulation, protect your heart, ease joint pain and lower your cholesterol.
• Exercise. Regular exercise, under the supervision of your doctor, may be the most effective way to treat PAD. It relieves leg pain and increases your mobility.
• Take care of your feet. Get in the habit of examining your feet. They’re more susceptible to infection and sores when your circulation is poor. Look for sores, skin discoloration and changes in your nails.
• Reduce stress. Try stress-reducing techniques and increase the amount of rest you get.

What Procedures or Surgeries Can Help?

If medications and at home remedies don’t help, your vein doctor may recommend more invasive modes of treatment, especially if your case of PAD is severe. New treatments for PAD are always being developed. While surgery is always the last treatment recommended, some of the procedures that can be effective against PAD include:

• Angioplasty. In this surgery, a catheter is inserted into the closed portion of the artery. A balloon is slowly inflated inside the artery. The balloon clears the artery from wall to wall, increasing your blood flow. This minimally invasive, outpatient procedure allows you to go home the same day.
• Bypass surgery. This procedure routes blood around a blocked artery, using a piece of healthy blood vessel or an artificial blood vessel. This surgery is invasive and may require recovery time in the hospital.
• Thrombolytic therapy. This is a third way your vascular specialist unblocks an artery, using a blood clot-dissolving solution injected into the blocked artery. You may have an overnight stay for observation after this procedure.

Peripheral artery disease treatment most often involves basic, at-home care. Your treatment depends on the severity of your symptoms and whether you have underlying conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. If you suspect circulation problems in your legs, contact Dr. Bolotin at Astra Vein Treatment Center in Brooklyn and Bronx. If you catch peripheral artery disease early, your PAD treatments will be mild.