Funding
for the study was provided by the American Heart Association Strategically
Focused Research Network in Vascular Disease and the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, and the findings appear in the American Heart Association's
journal
.
Dr
Beckman
says,
"This study
advances the idea that microvascular disease is a system-wide disorder rather
than only affecting one part of the body." Estimating
Amputation Risk in
Microvascular Disease and PAD
The
study included
more than 125,000
veterans having either microvascular disease or peripheral artery disease (PAD) and those who had both PAD as well as microvascular disease. The study team
obtained data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study. The participants had not
had any amputations at the start of the study and were followed up over an
average duration of 9 years.
The
key findings included:
- Those with the
microvascular disease had 3.7 times higher risk of
lower limb amputation, and included 18% of all amputations that occurred
during the follow-up period
- Participants with PAD had a 13.9
times more risk of lower limb amputation and included 22% of all amputations
- Participants having both
microvascular disease and PAD showed 23 times higher in the risk of lower
limb amputation including 45% of all
amputations during this period
The
findings of the study suggest therefore that persons having both microvascular
disease and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have the highest risk of lower
limb amputation and require closer surveillance and appropriate interventions
to save the limb.
"PAD
(in the legs) has long been considered a sign that a patient likely also has
narrowed arteries leading to the heart or brain. If a patient has PAD, they
have a higher risk of other cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes," said Beckman.
What is Peripheral
Arterial Disease?
- Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
involves constriction of arteries in the extremities away from the heart
and usually affects the legs and smoking is a major risk factor
- Patients with PAD complain of pain
and muscle cramps while walking
or climbing stairs (claudication) which is relieved by resting
- PAD patients show an increased risk
of heart disease and stroke
- PAD is diagnosed by vascular
ultrasound of the lower limb
- Treatment includes stopping smoking,
healthy diet and exercise, medical treatment and lastly surgery if these
fail to relieve symptoms
- Patients with PAD should be advised
to seek immediate medical attention for ulcers or any trauma to lower limb
since if these are not treated promptly, it can result in gangrene of the
affected part necessitating amputation
In
summary,
patients
having the microvascular
disease and peripheral arterial disease have a much higher risk of lower limb
amputation and need
close monitoring and appropriate interventions to prevent amputation.
References : - Microvascular disease anywhere in the body may be linked to higher risk of leg amputations - (https://newsroom.heart.org/news/microvascular-disease-anywhere-in-the-body-may-be-linked-to-higher-risk-of-leg-amputations?preview=2e66)
Source: Medindia
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