Diagnosing Peripheral Arterial Disease in Women

People experiencing unexplained leg pain may want to ask their doctor about peripheral arterial disease or PAD.

PAD in your lower body is the narrowing or blockage of the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs. That blockage is usually caused by cholesterol.

According to Vincent J. Noori, M.D., RPVI, Board Certified vascular surgeon at The Vascular Center at Mercy, sometimes his patients will say they've walked only a block or so, and it feels like a charley horse in their leg. Dr. Noori said he sees PAD in men and women, but it appears to show up in women later in life, usually after age 40.

"I think the thing about women is they tend to present a little bit later on because, you know, a lot of times they have more atypical symptoms. Some people have no symptoms whatsoever. And so, by the time that you develop symptoms, it tends to be later on when the disease is more severe," Dr. Noori said.

Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use and diabetes. Dr. Noori noted that medicine can help treat PAD, and there are procedures that can be done as well, if necessary.

View Mercy vascular surgeon Dr. Vincent Noori's interview regarding women and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).