Learn about peripheral arterial disease (PAD)

Updated January 2022

What is PAD?

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) occurs when fatty deposits form in arteries that are outside of your heart. These fatty deposits can restrict the flow of blood. PAD often occurs in the legs. In severe cases, it can lead to amputation. People who have PAD are at greater risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

Causes and risks of PAD

PAD can strike anyone, but it is most common in older people. PAD affects up to 20% of people over the age of 70.⁴ Smoking increases the risk of PAD. Heavy smokers are four times more likely than nonsmokers to develop PAD.³ On average, smokers are diagnosed with PAD 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.³

Risk factors include:³

• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Family history of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
• High cholesterol
• Age, gender, race

Symptoms of PAD

Most people with PAD don’t show any warning signs. Only one quarter to one third of people who are diagnosed with PAD have any symptoms at all.³ People who do have symptoms often mistake them for signs of aging.

Symptoms include:³

• Leg pain when walking
• Numbness or weakness in the legs
• Aching pain in the feet or toes while at rest
• Ulcers or sores in the leg or foot that don’t heal
• Cold leg or foot
• Skin color changes in the legs or feet

Resources

Links for additional details on PAD:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – https://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_PAD.htm
• Society for Vascular Surgery – https://vascular.org/patient-resources/vascular-conditions/peripheral-arterial-disease
• Vascular Cures – https://vascularcures.org/peripheral-artery-disease-pad/

Remember, every patient is different, and your doctor knows you best. After reading the information on this site, make an appointment to talk to your doctor to help you make the right decision about any treatments or procedures.

1. Aboyans Victor, Ricco Jean-Baptiste, Bartelink Marie-Louise E L et al. 2017 ESC Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Diseases in collaboration with the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS). European Heart Journal, Volume 39, Issue 9, 01 March 2018, Pages 763–816.
2. Cimminiello C, Kownator S, Wautrecht JC, Carvounis CP, Kranendonk SE, Kindler B, et al.; PANDORA Study Investigators. The PANDORA study: peripheral arterial disease in patients with non-high cardiovascular risk. Intern Emerg Med 2011;6:509–19.
3. Norgren L, Hiatt WR, Dormandy JA, Nehler MR, Harris KA, Fowkes FG, et al.; TA SC II Working Group. Inter-Society Consensus for the Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease (TASC II). Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2007;33(Suppl 1):S1–75.
4. Facts about peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D.). National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Web site. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/pad/materials/pad_extfctsht_general.html. Published August 2006. Accessed September 3, 2019.