Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) refers to disorders affecting blood vessels outside the heart and brain. It commonly involves narrowing of the arteries supplying the legs, often due to atherosclerosis. Reduced blood flow can limit the amount of oxygen reaching the muscles and tissues.
One of the typical symptoms is pain, cramping, or heaviness in the legs while walking that improves with rest. Other symptoms may include numbness, weakness, coldness in the feet, changes in skin colour, weak pulses, or wounds that heal slowly. In advanced cases, severely reduced blood flow can lead to tissue damage.
Major risk factors include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, and increasing age. Management focuses on improving blood flow and reducing cardiovascular risk. Depending on the severity, treatment may involve lifestyle changes, medicines, supervised exercise, or vascular procedures to restore circulation.
