A horrific new study reveals that a situation can lead to serious complications – such as amputation – more prevalent and deadly than previously thought.
Intermontain Health researchers found that this diagnosed and treatment disease affects more than 10 million Americans over 40 years, with a 50 % death rate.
It is called peripheral artery (PAD) – a circulatory disorder where the arteries that provide blood to the ends become narrow or prohibited by the accumulation of plaque, which leads to low blood flow.
This can cause symptoms such as cold feet, cramping and leg ulcers. While “the classic symptoms of the painting are pain in physical activity legs, such as walking, improving after rest”, the center of diseases control that “up to four out of every 10 people suffer from PAD have no leg pain.”
The painting leads to pain, sores – in the most severe cases – loss of limbs.
There is no cure for peripheral artery disease, but a lifestyle changes – such as walking or quitting smoking – and medications can reduce and slow symptoms.
While peripheral artery disease can happen to anyone, it is more common in Americans over 65 years old.
“In our study, we found a significant increase in not treating peripheral artery disease along with higher levels of deaths in these patients,” said lead author Viet T, DMSC, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Research at Intermountain Health.
“Based on the results we have reached, we believe that health systems can do better work in examining and treating patients for patients with peripheral arteries. These results are an opportunity to improve and implement care systems, especially for women.”
The researchers analyzed 7522 patients – 62 % of them men and 38 % of them are women – who have a diagnosis of peripheral artery.
Only 29.6 percent of women and 33.5 percent of men got the right care.
Women were less likely to develop a heart attack or amputation – but men and women were risking 50 % of death.
Lu said: “Every person in these groups must have at least obtained anti -platelet treatment and statins. Instead, only one in three, which indicates the need to enhance methods to determine and treat peripheral artery,” Lu said.
Note if this may be due to the difficulty of identifying and treating the pillow versus other types of heart disease – more than indifference.
However, their findings highlight the need to take this silent killer seriously.
Lu said: “We can definitely do a better job of examination of the peripheral arteries and treat it as his own case,” Lu said.
“We should not see a 50 % death rate among these patients. With the development and implementation of the best disease examination and monitoring treatment, we can increase the appropriate treatment for these patients, and low death rates.”
The results were presented on March 30 at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago.
