How To Prevent And Treat Peripheral Vascular Disease

Peripheral vascular disease is a disease where the legs, arms, or other body parts receive restricted levels of blood flow. Restricted blood flow happens when the veins or arteries in an individual's limbs become blocked, spasm, or become narrowed. When the peripheral vascular disease is only present in the arteries, it is referred to as peripheral arterial disease. There are two different types of peripheral vascular disease. Organic peripheral vascular disease is precipitated from plaque accumulation, tissue damage, or inflammation. Functional peripheral vascular disease is characterized by a decrease in the flow of blood as a reaction to a mechanism that causes the blood vessels to be inconsistent in size. Symptoms of peripheral vascular disease include peripheral claudication, leg cramps, reddish-blue legs or arms, leg hair loss, slow healing wounds, numbness in the toes, cold skin, thickened toenails, and atrophy.