Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)

Need the Most Advanced Diagnosis and Care for Vascular Disease? In Orange County, There’s No Place Like Hoag.

From Newport Beach to San Juan Capistrano, Tustin to Mission Viejo, people trust Hoag for experienced diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease in Orange County.

Through our subspecialized Vascular Program at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute, our patient-focused team of subspecialized physicians is setting the area’s standard for cardiovascular care, through advanced diagnostic imaging, the latest treatment options and next-generation endovascular surgery techniques that save limbs, lives and give back quality of life. That’s vascular disease care at Hoag.

Read on for what you need to know about peripheral vascular disease, including symptoms, types, complications and risk factors. And if you need experienced and patient-focused care for vascular disease in Orange County, we’re here to help. Contact us today through our online form or by calling 949-764-5871.

What is Peripheral Vascular Disease?

Peripheral vascular disease is an umbrella term that refers to any condition that impacts the blood vessels that aren’t associated with the heart, including lymphatic vessels, arteries and veins.

There are several different types of peripheral vascular disease. Depending on the type you have, symptoms and complications can range from mild to life-threatening.

For example, while varicose veins may only cause slight discomfort, severe cases of another type of peripheral vascular disease, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), can result in very reduced or blocked blood flow to the legs or arms. This can result in tissue loss, potentially requiring amputation.

What are the Different Types of Peripheral Vascular Disease?

There are several different types of peripheral vascular disease. These types are grouped into two major categories, which are:

• Occlusive, which are types of Peripheral Vascular Disease caused by the physical narrowing or blockage of a blood vessel
• Functional, which are types of Peripheral Vascular Disease that are caused by lifestyle factors, medical conditions or exposures, including smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes.

While some types of peripheral vascular disease cause only mild to moderate discomfort or cosmetic issues, such as varicose veins, other types of peripheral vascular disease can cause severe complications, up to and including stroke, bowel ischemia or amputation of a limb.

Functional Peripheral Vascular Diseases

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition in which the valves that control blood flow through veins don’t work as they should, which can cause blood to pool in the legs. While CVI usually isn’t a serious threat to health, it can cause several symptoms such as swelling, pain, heaviness, cramps, itching, skin discoloration and non-healing ulcers. Of note, you can have chronic venous insufficiency symptoms without visible varicose veins in your legs.

Varicose Veins

While usually not threatening to a person’s health, varicose veins are networks of blue or red veins that are visible through the skin. Usually appearing in the legs, varicose veins can be caused by age, family history, pregnancy, being overweight or a person spending long periods of work-related time sitting or on their feet.

Raynaud’s Disease

Also called Raynaud’s phenomenon or Raynaud Syndrome, Raynaud’s disease is a rare, apparently congenital (present at birth) condition in which, in times of emotional stress or while experiencing cold temperatures, some of the small arteries narrow, which reduces blood flow to the fingers and, in some people, the nose, ears, toes. This can cause severe pain in the fingers or toes, with skin discoloration transitioning from pale to bluish and then redness.

Acrocyanosis

Usually occurring in women, acrocyanosis is a largely harmless condition that causes the hands and sometimes the feet to take on a slight blue color (cyanosis). Another type of functional peripheral vascular disease that can be caused by intense emotions or being out in the cold, the condition is the result of spasms in the small blood vessels that supply oxygen to the skin. Other symptoms can include swelling in the extremities and severe sweating of the hands and feet.

Occlusive Peripheral Vascular Diseases

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Usually caused by atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of a fatty substance called plaque on the walls of the arteries, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a type of peripheral vascular disease that involves the narrowing or blockage of the arteries that route oxygenated blood to the arms and legs. In early stages patients can experience calf pain or cramping with walking, which eases with rest. Severe cases, as in Crirical Limb Ischemia, can result in a range of serious complications, including tissue loss, gangrene and amputation. In those with PAD, blocked blood flow to the legs and feet is more common than blockages affecting the arms and hands.

Carotid Artery Stenosis

Carotid artery stenosis, also known as carotid artery disease, occurs when the two major arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the brain, the carotid arteries, become dangerously narrowed. Usually caused by the buildup of plaque (atherosclerosis), severe carotid artery stenosis can lead to dangerous complications without medical attention, including TIA (transient ischemic attacks or “mini stroke”), stroke and death. Learn more about carotid artery disease here.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Deep vein thrombosis is a condition in which a blood clot can develop in a vein that’s deep inside a muscle, risk factors may include immobility, recent surgery, trauma, inflammatory states and dehydration. In some cases, the clots produced during a DVT episode can travel through the circulatory system to the lungs, where they can cause a life-threatening condition called a pulmonary embolism (PE). Learn more about DVT here.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema is a condition in which the body swells because a fluid called lymph builds up in the tissues. The condition is usually seen in those who have a history of cancer treatments like radiation or surgery that alter or damage the body’s network of lymph nodes.

Buerger’s Disease

Strongly linked to the risk factor of smoking tobacco, Buerger’s disease (also known as thromboangiitis obliterans) causes inflammation and swelling in blood vessels in the legs and arms, resulting in blood clots and blockages. If efforts at restoring blood flow aren’t promptly undertaken, a blocked blood vessel due to Buerger’s disease can cause pain, tissue damage and even tissue death and gangrene that may lead to amputation.

What are the Symptoms of Peripheral Vascular Disease?

In many cases, people with peripheral vascular disease have no symptoms at all. For those who do experience noticeable signs, symptoms often depend on which type of peripheral vascular disease they have.

In those with more serious forms of peripheral vascular disease that can cause blockages, a common symptom is leg pain during exercise which eases with rest — a condition known as intermittent claudication. The pain of intermittent claudication arises because the leg muscles are not receiving sufficient blood flow due to narrowed arteries.

Other symptoms of severe or potentially life-threatening peripheral vascular diseases may include:

• Changes in skin temperature and texture, such as cool, thin, brittle or shiny skin on the legs and feet due to inadequate blood flow
• Having a weak pulse in the legs and feet due to lower blood pressure
• Loss of hair on the legs
• Pain in the thigh or calf while walking
• Experiencing a blood clot or multiple blood clots
• Poor or delayed wound healing, especially in the lower extremities
• A feeling of numbness or heaviness in the muscles
• Burning or aching pain while at rest, usually in the toes and often at night.
• Paleness or having a reddish-blue discoloration of the extremities​​​​
• Thickened toenails
• Experiencing gangrene or dead tissue due to narrowed blood vessels and reduced blood flow
• Stroke and heart attack
• Increased risk for cerebrovascular disease (buildup of plaque in the artery walls of the brain) or coronary artery disease (plaque buildup in the arteries that supply blood flow to the heart) which is a common cause of heart attack.

Worried You Might Have Symptoms of Peripheral Arterial Disease? Take Hoag’s Free Assessment

If you’re experiencing symptoms of severe peripheral vascular disease like poor wound healing in the feet and legs, numbness, pain or tingling in the extremities or other signs, there may not be enough blood flow through the body because of narrowed blood vessels.

Take Hoag’s easy online PAD Risk Assessment to determine your risk factors for one of the most potentially severe forms of these conditions.

What Causes Peripheral Vascular Disease?

Depending on the type a person has, peripheral vascular disease can be caused by a range of factors, including genetics, standing on your feet for long hours, age, obesity, pregnancy and other issues.

However, the most common cause of the blood vessel narrowing that is characteristic of many of the more dangerous types of peripheral vascular disease is atherosclerosis, which is a medical condition in which a sticky substance called plaque builds up on blood vessel walls. Plaque usually occurs due to high blood cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking.

Though atherosclerosis can occur in those who eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight, the high blood cholesterol and plaque buildup in the blood vessels that is characteristic of atherosclerosis is usually related to lifestyle factors, including eating a diet that’s high in fat, smoking or not getting enough physical exercise.

In addition to increasing a person’s chance of stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular conditions, atherosclerosis can result in poor blood flow to the organs and tissues or even a blocked or narrowed artery that can starve portions of the body of oxygenated blood.

What are the potential complications of severe peripheral vascular disease?

While some types of peripheral vascular disease only cause mild issues, more advanced or severe types of peripheral vascular disease can block or reduce blood flow to the tissues and organs. That can lead to a range of complications due to decreased or absent blood flow, including some that might be life threatening.

Complications of reduced or blocked blood flow caused by the more dangerous types of peripheral vascular disease may include:

• Tissue death and gangrene, which can lead to amputation or loss of a limb.
• Poor wound healing, especially in the feet, ankles and legs
• Increased risk of blood clots, which can potentially be prevented through the use of blood thinners
• Restricted mobility, including trouble walking, due to pain in the feet and legs
• Stroke, which is three times more likely in people with peripheral vascular disease
• Erectile dysfunction or impotence

What Are the Risk Factors for Peripheral Vascular Disease?

While some issues that can lead to peripheral vascular disease are out of a person’s control, risk factors for the more severe or dangerous types of the condition may include:

• Atherosclerosis
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure, especially if you experience consistently elevated blood pressure measurements
• Eating a diet that’s high in fat, salt, sugar, carbohydrates and cholesterol, with few fruits and vegetables
• Smoking, which is a very important risk factor for peripheral artery disease
• Lack of exercise
• Long periods without activity, such as bed rest or a long airplane flight, which can specifically cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition involving blood clots
• Obesity
• Having a family history of cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular events, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease or atherosclerosis

Explore Hoag’s Unique Peripheral Artery Disease Walking Program

For those with peripheral artery disease, controlling their risk factors through regular exercise can potentially help slow disease progression, increase blood flow, reduce high blood pressure, prevent serious peripheral vascular disease complications and more. But for people with the condition, walking can be extremely painful, which can hinder their ability to exercise.

That’s why Hoag introduced our specialized PAD Exercise Walking Program. It’s a progressive, alternative therapy designed to increase PAD patients’ ability to walk and exercise pain-free, which can vastly improve their prognosis and quality of life.

Visit here to learn more about this innovative exercise program for those with Peripheral Artery Disease from Hoag.

Are There Any Ways to Reduce My Risk Factors for Peripheral Vascular Disease?

While there is no definitive way to prevent peripheral vascular disease, there are several steps you can take to potentially lower your risk factors for many types of the disease.

Ways to potentially reduce your risk of dangerous types of peripheral vascular disease or avoid the condition’s most serious complications may include:

• If you have high blood pressure, control your hypertension by lowering stress, getting regular exercise and having regular blood pressure measurements at least a few times a year using a well-calibrated blood pressure cuff that provides accurate blood pressure readings.
• If you have any form of heart disease, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure or any other condition that affects blood vessels or the heart, seek medical care and a physical exam, then follow your doctor’s instructions exactly.
• If you have diabetes, take the steps necessary to keep your blood sugar low, including taking regular blood sugar readings and eating a diet that’s low in sugar and carbohydrates
• Make lifestyle changes, including getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight
• Don’t smoke tobacco, and if you do smoke, quit
• If you’ll be inactive for long periods of time, such as on an intercontinental flight or while sick in bed, periodically exercise your legs by standing and walking around a bit and use medical grade (20-30 mmHg) compression socks to avoid deep vein thrombosis

Looking for Advanced Treatment for Peripheral Vascular Disease? Orange County Trusts Hoag.

Looking for advanced and patient-focused peripheral vascular disease treatment in Orange County? From treating high cholesterol and atherosclerosis that usually causes peripheral vascular disease to next-generation vascular surgery techniques that can restore blood flow to an affected limb, Hoag has the team, talent and advanced tools you need. That includes advanced imaging techniques like doppler ultrasound flow studies, CT scan and MRI angiography (MRA), to pinpoint the source of problems and evaluate blood flow.

Visit our vascular disease treatment page or vascular disease diagnosis and testing page to learn more. Or, connect with our subspecialized team today through our online form or by calling 949-764-5871.