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.

Drinking cocoa could relieve peripheral arterial disease

Someday, according to a new study, doctors might prescribe chocolate or cocoa to help patients with peripheral arterial disease to walk easier. The study published in February 2020 in the journal Circulation Research of the American Heart Association (AHA) reports a significant improvement in walking distance in patients following regular cocoa consumption.

16 Feb 2020

Cocoa consumption may improve walking performance in peripheral artery disease patients

Consumption of cocoa may improve walking performance for patients with peripheral artery disease, according to the results of a small, preliminary, phase II research trial published today in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation Research.

14 Feb 2020

PCORI announces new research funding opportunities to improve patient-centered outcomes

Following congressional reauthorization of its funding in December 2019, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) began accepting new proposals for research designed to help patients and those who care for them to weigh their options and make better-informed healthcare decisions.

9 Jan 2020

Leg cramps could be a sign of peripheral artery disease

Peripheral artery disease develops silently, narrowing blood vessels for decades until the supply of nutrients and oxygen falls low enough to cause cramps and leg pain.

21 Nov 2019

Women most affected by diabetes-related vascular complications

Women are most affected by the vascular complications of diabetes - a situation likely to escalate in the coming decades, reports a paper published on World Diabetes Day in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

14 Nov 2019

Study aims to help stratify risks associated with new devices for treating pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot lodged in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs, is the third leading cause of cardiovascular-related death in the United States. While most patients are treated with anticoagulants (commonly known as blood thinners), the use of novel interventional devices that remove or dissolve clots in the lungs has significantly increased in recent years.

5 Oct 2019

Low birth weight linked to chronic health conditions later in life

Low birth weight is linked not only to poor health outcomes at birth but also to chronic health conditions later in life.

3 Oct 2019

Study quantifies first lifetime-risk estimates for peripheral artery disease

The lifetime risk of lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), in which leg arteries narrow abnormally, is about 30 percent for black men and 28 percent for black women, with lower but still-substantial risks for Hispanics and whites, according to a study led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

11 Sep 2019

Assessing blood flow is key to early detection, treatment for patients with critical limb ischemia

Non-invasive techniques and devices for assessing blood flow and other diagnostic considerations for people with critical limb ischemia are addressed in a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published in the Association's flagship journal Circulation.

12 Aug 2019

Herbal medicine for preventing, healing vascular diseases

The system connects the arteries to the veins. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the adult human body.

30 Jul 2019

Researchers quantify smoking's strong connection with peripheral artery disease

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that cigarette smoking boosts the risk of peripheral artery disease, and this elevated risk can persist up to 30 years after smoking cessation.

23 Jul 2019

Microvascular disease associated with increased risk of leg amputation

Microvascular disease is independently associated with a higher risk of leg amputation compared to people without the disease, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

8 Jul 2019

Hot water therapy as effective as exercise for individuals with peripheral artery disease

Hot water therapy may help manage peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a common condition affecting blood flow to the arms and legs, just as well as exercise, according to new research.

7 Jun 2019

Exploring novel strategies to heal damage after a heart attack

For people who survive a heart attack, the days immediately following the event are critical for their longevity and long-term healing of the heart's tissue.

24 Apr 2019

Statins provide no benefit for 50 percent of patients, say researchers

Millions of patients do not benefit from taking statins and fail to achieve a cholesterol level low enough to reduce their risk of heart or stroke, report researchers.

16 Apr 2019

People with peripheral artery disease have lower Omega-3 Index, shows research

New research published in the March 18th edition of Lipids showed that people who have peripheral artery disease have a lower Omega-3 Index compared to those who don't have the disease.

22 Mar 2019

Researchers discover ingredient vital for blood vessel formation

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered an ingredient vital for proper blood vessel formation that explains why numerous promising treatments have failed.

14 Mar 2019

Study reveals increase in adverse outcomes for people taking aspirin and warfarin

A daily aspirin is a commonly used, generally safe therapy for people who need help preventing heart attacks or stroke.

5 Mar 2019

African Americans who smoke cigarettes are more likely to develop peripheral artery disease

African Americans who smoke cigarettes are more likely than those who don't smoke to develop peripheral artery disease, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

23 Jan 2019

Researchers cultivate vascular organoids that perfectly mimic human blood vessels

For the first time, researchers have successfully cultivated “vascular organoids” in a petri dish that perfectly mimic real human blood vessels.

16 Jan 2019