Freedom of movement is a must for a healthy life. Whether an adrenaline-hungry young person or a retired person living a quiet life, the thing that every person never wants to give up is the freedom to go wherever they want, whenever they want.
With age, people lose mobility due to both orthopedic and vascular problems. ability may decrease. While some of the diseases that cause this can be fully treated, some can only be corrected to a certain extent. For example, a patient suffering from severe pain due to arthritis in his knees can have his pain relieved with a knee prosthesis while his mobility can also be partially restored. Similarly, with appropriate treatment, the limbs of a paralyzed patient who have lost strength can regain their normal functions.
Today, we will talk about vascular diseases that restrict our mobility and their treatment methods. It should be noted from the very beginning that almost all of these diseases are arterial diseases and are referred to in medicine as 'peripheral artery disease'.
What is peripheral artery disease?
Cardiovascular disease. It is the power plant of the center, that is, the center. The word periphery means far from the center. Peripheral artery disease refers to diseases of the heart and vessels other than the heart vessels. Peripheral vascular diseases refer to stenosis and occlusion of the carotid vessels (carotid artery), abdominal aortic region, lower extremity arteries (leg veins) and upper extremity arteries (arteries feeding the arms).
Who has peripheral artery disease? Is it seen?
Peripheral artery disease almost always develops due to vascular lubrication (atherosclerosis). Factors that cause blockage of our heart vessels also cause peripheral artery disease, and moreover, most peripheral artery patients also have cardiovascular disease. Risk factors are diabetes, smoking, hypertension, male gender, high cholesterol and advanced age. Therefore, it would be appropriate to evaluate people with these risk factors for peripheral artery disease. In addition, it would be beneficial for people with cardiovascular disease to undergo an in-depth examination for peripheral vascular disease.
What are the symptoms of peripheral artery disease? What causes erection?
In peripheral artery disease, complaints are related to the affected vessel. If there is a stenosis in the carotid (carotid) vein, a thrombus (clot) originating from there may head to the brain and block one of the terminal vessels there, causing a stroke (paralysis). In this case, with early intervention, it may be possible to dissolve the clot by various methods and to open the stenosis area causing the clot. If this is done early (preferably in the first 2-4 weeks), recurrent strokes can be prevented.
Watch out for limping!
If the blocked vein is the veins going to our legs, the patient usually When walking a certain distance, a walking pattern in the form of intermittent claudication (claudicatio intermitant) develops due to burning, pain and numbness in the legs, thigh area or below the knee area. Most of the time, our patients can continue walking only after resting for a certain period of time.
If there is a blockage in the veins in the knee area, redness or wounds develop that start from the toes and cannot heal, which is a serious situation that can often end badly. If these veins are not treated quickly, unfortunately, it can lead to gangrene and amputation (surgical cutting) of the foot or even the leg in question. Of course, the first goal is to diagnose the patient and complete his treatment before reaching this stage. However, even when foot wounds begin, it is possible to heal these wounds and save the leg with appropriate treatment.
What are our treatment options for peripheral artery disease?
Just like in cardiovascular disease, the priority here is drug treatment and lifestyle change. The aim is to quit smoking, control diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension, and make the patient's leg veins wider by taking plenty of walks. Our main motto, especially for leg vascular patients, is "quit smoking and walk".
In the second stage, the decision for interventional or surgical treatment is made according to the location and characteristics of the patient and the disease (this is almost always determined by angiography). .
Conclusion
Peripheral artery disease causes both the risk of stroke and limb loss. It is a serious group of diseases that threaten our freedom of movement.
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