Also called: PAD
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Peripheral Arterial Disease
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) happens when there is a narrowing of the blood vessels outside of your heart. The cause of PAD is atherosclerosis. This happens when plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the arms and legs. Plaque is a substance made up of fat and cholesterol. It causes the arteries to narrow or become blocked. This can reduce or stop blood flow, usually to the legs. If severe enough, blocked blood flow can cause tissue death and can sometimes lead to amputation of the foot or leg.
The main risk factor for PAD is smoking. Other risk factors include older age and diseases like diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Many people who have PAD don't have any symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include:
- Pain, numbness, achiness, or heaviness in the leg muscles. This happens when walking or climbing stairs.
- Weak or absent pulses in the legs or feet
- Sores or wounds on the toes, feet, or legs that heal slowly, poorly, or not at all
- A pale or bluish color to the skin
- A lower temperature in one leg than the other leg
- Poor nail growth on the toes and decreased hair growth on the legs
- Erectile dysfunction, especially among men who have diabetes
PAD can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and transient ischemic attack.
Doctors diagnose PAD with a physical exam and heart and imaging tests. Treatments include lifestyle changes, medicines, and sometimes surgery. Lifestyle changes include dietary changes, exercise, and efforts to lower high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
It sits within Blood, Heart and Circulation.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Peripheral Arterial Disease
2,322 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- LineMatrix® Biological Vascular Graft for Infra-renal Arterial Bypass or ReplacementShanghai Zhongshan Hospital
- Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia Treated With Intravascular Lithotripsy Observational StudyCardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe
- IVUS Guidance in BTK InterventionsShin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital
- Response to Exercise and Nitric Oxide in PADNorthwestern University
- Aspiration Thrombectomy Using the Symphony or Prodigy SystemImperative Care, Inc.
- Onyx™ Liquid Embolic IDE Clinical StudyMedtronic Endovascular
Research already completed
- Botulinum Toxin in Raynaud's PhenomenonEmory University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)Radiological Society of North America
- What Is Peripheral Artery Disease?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- What is Peripheral Artery Disease?American Heart Association
Diagnosis and Tests
- Ankle-Brachial IndexMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- CT Angiography (CTA)Radiological Society of North America
- Doppler UltrasoundNational Library of Medicine
- MR Angiography (MRA)Radiological Society of North America
- Peripheral AngiographyAmerican Heart Association
- Peripheral Artery Disease - DiagnosisNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Screening for Peripheral Artery DiseaseAmerican Heart Association
- Ultrasound -- VascularRadiological Society of North America
Treatments and Therapies
- Angioplasty and Vascular StentingRadiological Society of North America
- Angioplasty: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Understand Your Risk for PADAmerican Heart Association
Related Issues
- Buerger's DiseaseJohns Hopkins Vasculitis Center
- ClaudicationMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Peripheral Artery Disease and DiabetesAmerican Heart Association
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Intermittent ClaudicationNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Peripheral Arterial DiseaseNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Peripheral Vascular DiseasesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Peripheral Arterial Disease. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Peripheral Arterial Disease, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.