Risk factors and treatment for peripheral vascular disease - Spire Healthcare

Non-surgical treatments for peripheral vascular disease

Treating peripheral vascular disease focuses on improving your symptoms and preventing other problems related to blood vessel disease. This is because if you have peripheral vascular disease, you are much more likely to have problems with other blood vessels, such as those supplying your heart and brain. Being affected by peripheral vascular disease, therefore, increases your risk of stroke and heart attacks. Consequently, a significant part of any treatment plan for peripheral vascular disease focuses on reducing your risk of stroke and heart attacks.  

Treating leg pain caused by peripheral vascular disease involves managing the risk factors for vascular disease, notably quitting smoking, as well as managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, if you have any of these health problems. The drugs clopidogrel or aspirin are used to help prevent blood vessels becoming blocked and the group of drugs called statins are used to control cholesterol levels; statins also have a protective effect on blood vessels. The use of these medications can improve leg symptoms and also reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Finally, exercise is of great value, ideally as part of a supervised exercise programme to gradually increase your walking distance. You may not reach the point of being able to walk long distances without any pain, however, the aim is to increase how far you can comfortably walk and therefore improve your quality of life, as well as enabling you to maintain a level of fitness.

This approach to treating peripheral vascular disease — making lifestyle changes, taking appropriate medication and exercising regularly — is the most effective way to manage the disease and importantly reduce your risk of other potentially life-threatening conditions, namely stroke and heart attacks.

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