|  | Conditions Treatments | Blood Disorders

Peripheral Arterial Disease Symptoms

Peripheral arterial disease is a condition that causes the arteries in one of your legs to narrow and decrease the blood flow to the leg. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition may be treatable by decreasing the amount of fatty foods in your diet or by quitting smoking. The Mayo Clinic warns that peripheral arterial disease could be a precursor to serious heart problems, so visit your doctor immediately if you experience any of the symptoms.

  1. Leg Sensations

    • You may experience a variety of uncomfortable sensations as symptoms of peripheral arterial disease. You might experience recurring and painful cramps in the muscles of your hips, thighs, or calves. This would be most noticeable after any kind of physical activity that involved your legs such as climbing stairs, walking, or running. Over time you may also start to notice a numbness in one of your legs, and it is possible that you may begin to lose use of this leg. Your muscles in the affected leg may begin to feel weak, and it may be difficult to use that leg.

    Skin Changes

    • As a result of peripheral arterial disease, you may start to notice changes to your skin. It is possible that you may begin to lose all of the hair on one of your legs, and you may notice that your toenails are changing color. The skin on your leg may also begin to change color, and you may begin to develop open sores on your feet that do not heal.

    Resting Symptoms

    • It may not require movement on your part to experience the symptoms of peripheral arterial disease. Some of the symptoms of the condition include a constant burning pain in your feet or toes that may seem more prominent when you are lying down. It may keep you awake, or the pain may wake you from a sound sleep.

    Pulse

    • As the symptoms of peripheral arterial disease advance, your doctor may notice that your pulse in the affected leg is weak. The lack of blood flow indicated by the slowing pulse may also cause the skin on your feet to feel cold to the touch. It may also cause your leg to start to turn a bluish color, and the leg may also begin to feel cold.

    Erectile Dysfunction

    • Men suffering the symptoms of peripheral arterial disease may start to experience erectile dysfunction. This symptom is more prominent in men that are already suffering from diabetes.

Blood Disorders - Related Articles