PAD can be diagnosed by taking blood tests that check: diabetes, cholesterol levels and triglycerides. It can also be diagnosed by means of ankle-brachial index (ABI) which compares the blood pressure in the ankle with the one present in the arm. Once diagnosed, it is important to take these steps: monitor your diabetes, exercise regularly, quit smoking, take care of your mental health and make important lifestyle changes.
The main three tips on what to do if diagnosed with PAD entail: employing treatment strategies from a peripheral artery disease doctor Kansas City offers, making lifestyle changes to ease symptoms and managing PAD medically in order to reduce complications.
Treatment strategies include enhancing walking abilities, reducing cardiovascular risk, stopping atherosclerosis. They can also consist of: cather-directed thrombolysis, exercise therapy, balloon angioplasty, pharmacotherapy, endarterectomy, surgery and bypass grafts.
The management of PAD through regular physical activity can help ease symptoms. This type of activity should include: supervised exercise training/therapy (SET), walking regimens, leg exercises and treadmill programs. Similarly, the medical management of PAD can help reduce complications by means of: cholesterol reduction, antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulation treatment, peripheral vasodilators, blood pressure control and smoking cessation.
All in all, supervised physical activity, managing PAD medically and using various treatment strategies can significantly improve quality of life and reduce symptoms.