What Causes Peripheral Arterial Disease?

Peripheral arterial disease is a condition most common in individuals aged 55 and above. In today’s lifestyle, you cannot help but indulge yourself in the blessings you have such as excellent food and other vices available.

It really boils down to the issue of lifestyle which, sadly, takes a toll on you as the years go by.

To break it down in simpler terms for you, peripheral arterial disease is the term given when there is blockage in the main arteries in the arms and legs.

These blockages are basically accumulated cholesterol or other sediments that do not allow a steady stream of blood to the other major systems and organs in your body.

Over time, peripheral arterial disease becomes prevalent because your body is specifically designed to wear and tear.

For those who experience peripheral arterial disease, they get through a lot of discomfort when afflicted by it. The symptoms of peripheral arterial disease can come in different forms.

The most common of these symptoms would be the presence of the condition called claudication. It is a feeling of numbness, pain, and cramping sensation due to insufficient flow of blood to the specific parts of your body.

There are other severe cases of peripheral arterial disease where there is discoloration in the patient’s body, wounds and sores that have a longer healing process and lower growth rate of certain nails and hair on the affected area.

For your information, the causes of peripheral arterial disease vary depending on the condition of the individuals themselves.

If you do not know the causes of peripheral arterial disease, now would be the best time to learn them. Here are the general causes of the disease:

  • The presence of high cholesterol: When you do not watch or control your food intake and discipline yourself, you may have a high risk of having peripheral arterial disease. The fatty content in food and other such products make for more reason to clog the arteries from their normal flow of blood. Precaution must be taken seriously since this may cause other conditions such as heart attack or strokes.
  • Cigarette smoking: Studies have shown that there is a high risk of peripheral arterial disease for those who have the habit of smoking, and yes, even those who intake second hand smoke themselves. The reason being is that the contents of cigarettes make changes in the arteries that promote clogging and such conditions.
  • The presence of diabetes: Due to the fact that diabetics have the condition of resisting insulin, it deters the system from ultimately healing itself and has a high percentage of having peripheral arterial disease.
  • The presence of hypertension and high blood pressure: The general truth about high blood and hypertension is that it is the rate of pressure the blood is being distributed into the arteries and to the other organs of the body. Studies have shown that elevated blood pressure may cause severe damage to the arteries and contribute to peripheral arterial disease.

For those who have the general causes present in their body, it is advisable to have yourselves checked for the disease.

Having early check ups may greatly reduce a full blown outbreak that may lead to fatal conditions eventually.