Dr. Yazan Ghosheh, Interventional Cardiologist, joined Good Morning Arkansas to talk about a common but often untreated condition, peripheral artery disease (PAD).

What is peripheral artery disease (PAD) and how serious is it?
PAD is blockages that happen in the arteries that take off from the aorta. It happens when a waxy substance, called plaque, builds up in these arteries causing narrowing of the arteries. So, with this narrowing, the muscle and tissue are starving for important nutrients. It is part of a disease called atherosclerosis. It's a very common disease but it is vastly under-diagnosed and untreated. 

I tell all my patients to take off their shoes, take off their socks when they go visit their primary care physician. There can be signs like change in skin color, loss of hair, decreased pulse. If we can catch it early, we can more easily treat it. We also have very simple tests to diagnose PAD in ourc

Who is at risk for getting Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)?
A lot of risk factors are involved. Age, unhealthy habits, smoking, diet, sedentary lifestyle. Also, other factors like uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, high cholesterol. 

Learn more
CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)