What is Peripheral Vascular Disease?

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD), also known as peripheral arterial disease (PAD), refers to diseases of any of the blood vessels outside of the heart. PVDis a range of disorders that can affect the blood vessels in the legs, feet, arms, or hands. 
 

Causes

The most common form of PAD is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis is a gradual process in which cholesterol and scar tissue build up to form a substance called plaque that clogs the inside of the artery. This build up causes a gradual narrowing of the artery, which will decrease the amount of blood flow. When the flow of blood decreases it results in a decrease of oxygen supply to the body’s tissues, which in turn causes pain. When the arteries to the legs are affected, a common symptom is pain in the calf when walking. This is known as intermittent claudication.

Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) is a severe condition of PVD. CLI occurs when a severe obstruction of the arteries is causing seriously decreased blood flow to the arm or legs and has progressed to the point of severe pain and even skin ulcers or sores. The pain from CLI can be so severe that it can wake up an individual at night. This pain is sometimes referred to as "rest pain."