Vascular disease can affect your arteries or veins and can cause a stroke or limb loss. Take a look at some of the most common vascular diseases, their causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and tips for prevention.

What is Peripheral Artery Disease?
It is estimated that more than 8 million Americans suffer from peripheral artery disease (PAD), a narrowing of vessels that carry blood to the legs, arms, stomach, or kidneys. The most common symptoms of PAD are cramping, pain, or tiredness in the calf, thigh, or buttocks while walking. Typically, this pain goes away with rest and returns with activity.

Many people with PAD can be treated with lifestyle changes and/or medication. Lifestyle changes to lower your risk include: stopping smoking, controlling diabetes and blood pressure, physical activity, and eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. When lifestyle modifications don’t work, angioplasty or surgery may be necessary.

What is an Aneurysm?
An aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in the wall of a blood vessel caused by a weakened area in the vessel. Although they can form in any blood vessel, there are two main types. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) occurs when the large blood vessel in the abdomen (the aorta) becomes abnormally large. A thoracic aortic aneurysm happens when a weakened area that bulges is in the chest. If these bulges grow big enough, they can burst, which is a life-threatening condition.

Many aortic aneurysms can now be treated with a stent, an endovascular surgical repair by a vascular surgeon. In this minimally invasive technique, the stent graft is threaded through a blood vessel in the groin and into the aorta to block the flow of blood into the aneurysm.

Good Vascular Health Starts with Screenings
Baptist Health System and its partner physicians are committed to educating the community about vascular disease, its prevention and treatment. Yearly checkups, annual health screenings, a healthy diet, regular exercise and controlling diabetes and hypertension are the main ingredients of prevention and early detection of potential vascular problems.

Free Screenings
Baptist Health System offers free vascular screenings as well as an online “Vascular Tree” screening tool, which you can use to assess your risk of developing vascular disease. Go to bhsvascular.com or call 210-297-7005 for more information.