Peripheral Artery Disease News and Research

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Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) occurs when leg arteries become narrowed or blocked by plaque. These blockages can result in severe pain for patients, limited physical mobility, and life-threatening non-healing leg ulcers. According to the American Heart Association, this condition affects approximately 8 to 12 million Americans. With only about 25 percent of PAD patients undergoing treatment, it is a disease that is largely under-diagnosed and under-treated. If left untreated, PAD can lead to critical leg ischemia, a condition where not enough blood is being delivered to the leg to keep the tissue alive. Total loss of circulation to the legs and feet can cause gangrene and lead to amputation.

Insomnia common in heart disease patients and linked with subsequent cardiovascular events

Nearly half of heart disease patients have insomnia, according to research presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology, and published in SLEEP Advances.

7 Apr 2022

Powerhouse-pruning protein may also help make energy rapidly available for growing new blood vessels

A protein that helps keep our cell powerhouses working at a premium appears to also help make energy rapidly available when it's time to make new blood vessels.

4 Apr 2022

Unusual partners are key to making more blood vessels

Insufficient oxygen to an area like the heart or legs, called hypoxia, is a cue to our bodies to make more blood vessels, and scientists have found some unusual partners are key to making that happen.

8 Mar 2022

Role of leptin in immune modulation and pathophysiology of COVID-19

A recent review paper in the journal Frontiers in Physiology discusses the role of leptins in infection with SARS-CoV-2 that triggered the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Jan 2022

Environmental exposure to low-levels of toxic metals may increase risk of clogged arteries

Environmental exposure to low-levels of the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium and titanium appears to increase the risk of plaque buildup in arteries in the neck, heart and legs, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).

9 Dec 2021

Hispanic adults with peripheral artery disease more likely to be admitted to the hospital through the ER

Hispanics adults hospitalized for treatment of symptoms of peripheral artery disease (PAD) were more likely to access this care by going to the emergency room (ER), and they experienced longer and more expensive hospitalizations than non-Hispanic white patients with PAD, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes (QCOR) Research Scientific Sessions 2021.

8 Nov 2021

Key protein in the blood could help identify patients at risk of severe peripheral artery disease

To track cardiovascular health, doctors measure blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar, among a number of other cardiovascular disease risk factors.

30 Sep 2021

BUSM assistant professor awarded $2.1 million for peripheral artery disease research

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a major cause of limb loss. It is estimated that PAD affects between 8.5 and 12 million Americans, with a prevalence that has increased by about 25 percent over the preceding decade.

21 Sep 2021

People living with HIV have higher risk of sudden cardiac death, finds study

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than people who do not have HIV, especially if the virus is not well-controlled or if they have other heart disease risk factors.

8 Sep 2021

Researchers develop new drug-free treatment to accelerate healing of chronic diabetic wounds

About one-fourth of people with diabetes develop painful foot ulcers, which are slow to heal due to low oxygen in the wound from impaired blood vessels and increased inflammation. These wounds can become chronic, leading to poor quality of life and potential amputation.

31 Aug 2021

AHA special issue focuses on health disparities among racial, ethnic communities

Poverty and Black race were associated with higher rates of lower leg amputation among people with peripheral artery disease who live in metropolitan areas, according to new research published today in a special issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2021

MCG scientists find copper transporter as potential therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases

An internal transporter that enables us to use the copper we consume in foods like shellfish and nuts to enable a host of vital body functions also has the essential role of protecting the receptor that enables us to grow new blood vessels when ours become diseased, Medical College of Georgia scientists report.

20 Jul 2021

Gene-edited cellular therapeutics can successfully treat cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases

Scientists at UC San Francisco have shown that gene-edited cellular therapeutics can be used to successfully treat cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, potentially paving the way for developing less expensive cellular therapies to treat diseases for which there are currently few viable options.

6 Jul 2021

Study: No major difference in mortality between patients treated with drug-coated and non-drug-coated devices

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), or blockages in the arteries outside of the heart, affects more than 200 million people worldwide and 12.5 million people in the United States. Patients with this circulatory disorder may develop severe leg pain or unhealing wounds that require a minimally invasive revascularization procedure to open the blood vessels to improve blood flow.

18 May 2021

Rivaroxaban reduces the occurrence of severe ischemic events in patients with peripheral artery disease

Rivaroxaban, in addition to low-dose aspirin, significantly reduced the occurrence of total severe events of the heart, limb or brain and issues related to other vascular complications in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) who underwent lower extremity revascularization, a procedure to open blocked arteries in the leg.

17 May 2021

Prediabetes can boost a person's chance of major cardiovascular events

People with prediabetes were significantly more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or other major cardiovascular event when compared with those who had normal blood sugar levels, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

5 May 2021

Study casts doubt on promotion of 'Heat not Burn' products as less harmful alternative to cigarettes

The impact on lung cells of Heat not Burn products--a hybrid between traditional cigarettes and electronic vaping devices--may be no less harmful than that of conventional cigarettes, suggest the findings of a small comparative study, published online in the journal Thorax.

22 Apr 2021

Study shows adverse outcomes associated with use of more blood thinners

More blood thinners aren't automatically better, another study confirms. A new publication in JAMA Internal Medicine focuses on the minimal pros and the concerning cons of combining a daily aspirin with a drug from the newer class of anticoagulants that include apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban.

19 Apr 2021

Early cardiac events pose major and different risks in close relatives, finds study

Family history of early cardiac events in first degree relatives such as a parent or sibling is a major risk factor, especially for premature events. Currently, data on risks in close relatives of patients with a family history of premature heart attacks, chronic stable angina or peripheral vascular disease are sparse.

12 Apr 2021

High-intensity walking exercise benefits people with peripheral artery disease

No pain means no gain when it comes to reaping exercise benefits for people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

6 Apr 2021