NHLBI TO INTRODUCE NEW CAMPAIGN ON
LITTLE KNOWN FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN UNITED
STATES
~ Understanding the
Disease and Its Risk Factors Key to Saving Lives~
February 2007
Three out of four people aren't
aware of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a common
and dangerous vascular disease that affects approximately
eight million Americans, according to a new study published
in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The disease occurs when arteries in the legs become
narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits, reducing blood
flow to the legs. This can result in leg muscle pain
when walking and disability, amputation and a poor quality
of life.
Blocked arteries found in
people with PAD can be a warning sign that other arteries,
including those in the heart and brain, may also be
blocked, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
In a cross-sectional, population-based telephone survey
of 2,501 adults over age 50, researchers found that
public awareness of PAD (25 percent) is markedly lower
than for other cardiovascular diseases such as stroke
(74 percent), coronary artery disease (67 percent) and
heart failure (67 percent). Yet, the risk for PAD is
equal to or greater than the risk for these conditions.
Survey respondents were much
more aware of relatively rare diseases that affect far
fewer people, including Lou Gehrig's disease (36 percent),
multiple sclerosis (42 percent) and cystic fibrosis
(29 percent).
Few Americans know that having
PAD significantly increases the risk for heart attack,
stroke, amputation and death, the survey showed. Only
one in four adults who were familiar with PAD associate
the disease with an increased risk of heart attack;
only 28 percent associate PAD with an increased risk
of stroke; and only 14 percent link PAD with either
amputation or death.
PAD affects both women and
men and can strike adults of any age. The risk of PAD
is increased in people over age 50, particularly in
smokers and former smokers, and in people with diabetes,
high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, a personal
history of heart disease or stroke, and in African Americans.
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