Peripheral arterial disease is a type of atherosclerosis where the arteries in the legs become hardened and
narrowed. The primary symptom of PAD is pain in the limbs (claudication), usually in the legs, which is a
result of walking. Treatment is available for PAD, but many cases go undiagnosed because people simply
accept their pain as part of the natural aging process.
Stroke Scan, Inc. can screen for PAD via a painless, non-invasive measurement called an Ankle-Brachial Index
(ABI). The likelihood of acquiring PAD increases with age. Nearly 8 percent of Americans up to 69 years of age
and nearly 20 percent of Americans over the age of 70 have PAD. Despite widely held beliefs in the general
population, the symptoms of PAD are not inevitable results of the normal aging process.
People with an abnormal ABI have up to 16 times greater risk for heart attack or stroke within the next ten years.
Peripheral Arterial Disease is THE number one reason for amputations in the United States.
Peripheral arterial disease is a type of atherosclerosis where the arteries in the legs become hardened and
narrowed. The primary symptom of PAD is pain in the limbs (claudication), usually in the legs, which is a
result of walking. Treatment is available for PAD, but many cases go undiagnosed because people simply
accept their pain as part of the natural aging process.
