What is peripheral vascular disease?

Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease that affects all the arteries, and patients who have coronary artery disease also have a higher likelihood of having peripheral vascular disease. Just as the coronary arteries can become diseased with cholesterol plaque that affects the inner lining of the artery and causes narrowing of the channel, the arteries of the lower (and more rarely, upper) extremities can become laden with cholesterol plaque. This causes arterial insufficiency, or "poor circulation" to the legs. The classic symptoms of peripheral vascular disease include pain in the calves, thigh, or buttocks during walking (claudication), which subsides after ceasing walking. As the disease progresses, there is gradual loss of muscle tissue, thickening of the toe nail beds, and thickening and brownish pigmentation of the skin overlying the shins. In advanced cases, there may be pain in the feet even at rest. This is typically noticed more at night, when the feet are at a horizontal position in bed. The pain is sometimes relieved by "dangling" the feet, allowing gravity to help blood flow to the feet. Ulcers may develop in the feet or shins and are very slow to heal. In very severe cases, gangrene may develop, requiring amputation.