Ten million Americans have peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and research shows that the highest risk populations include African-Americans (twice as likely to develop clogged leg arteries), seniors (12 to 20 percent of those 65 and older) and diabetics (one in three who are over the age of 50).

Symptoms such as leg pain while walking, numbness and tingling in the lower legs and feet, coldness in the lower legs and feet, or ulcers or sores on the legs or feet that don't heal-could be a warning sign of PAD. PAD develops mostly as a result of atherosclerosis, a condition that occurs when cholesterol and scar tissue build up, forming a substance called plaque, which narrows and clogs the arteries and slows blood flow to the legs. PAD is a red flag for several life-threatening diseases, such as heart attack (the number one killer in this country) and stroke. "Early detection and management of peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, can help prevent heart attack or stroke," said interventional radiologist Timothy P. Murphy, M.D., Legs for Life® chair. "Older men and women need to be examined with the ABI test that can diagnose PAD. Individuals need to know their ABI number the way they know their cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar number; it can save their lives," added Murphy.

Free testing is available to screen those at risk and to raise public awareness of PAD. The ankle brachial index (ABI)-a simple and painless test-compares the blood pressure in the legs to the blood pressure in the arms to determine how well the blood is flowing and if additional tests are needed. More than 322,000 people have been screened to date through the Legs for Life® program, with one in four at risk for PAD. Select sites will also screen for abdominal aortic aneurysm, stroke and venous disease.
Legs for Life® began a decade ago because interventional radiologists-vascular experts who treat PAD-recognized that the disease is a major public health problem with a growing incidence, yet awareness among the general public and nonvascular health care providers is low. "The public at large-as well as the medical community-need to appreciate the importance of the diagnosis of PAD in terms of symptoms and avoiding amputation, but also importantly in how a diagnosis of PAD entails added risk of heart attack, stroke and death," said Legs for Life® chair Murphy.

In September, during national PAD awareness month, interventional radiologists provide PAD screening nationwide through Legs for Life®, aprogram of the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation.

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