HYDERABAD: Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) is one of the most neglected disease and due to lack of awareness, patients are at high risk of cardiovascular deaths, Dr.Sridhar Kasturi, interventional cardiologist at Sunshine Hospitals, said here on Tuesday.
To create awareness about the disease, Sunshine hospital on Tuesday organised a workshop. Speaking on the occasion, Sridhar said: “People attribute the symptoms of the disease to their growing age. Complications from undiagnosed and untreated PVD can be serious and even fatal or result in amputation,” he said.
It typically strikes the veins and arteries that supply arms, legs and organs located below the stomach. It can easily be identified by the cardiologist , with a simple questionnaire and by a relatively simple test - the ankle brachial index.
People who smoke, or has hypertension (BP), hyperlipidemia, diabetes, family history of cardiac or vascular disease, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle are prone to this. Pain while walking is the most common symptom and other symptoms include numbness or weakness in the legs, aching pain in the feet or toes, non-healing ulcers on the leg or foot etc.