Most of the people who have peripheral vascular disease do not have any symptoms
While it is not uncommon to struggle to keep your hands warm in cold winter months, if you never feel comfortable, it is a sign that something is not right with your health. According to doctors, many conditions lead to cold fingers and hands—but if there are no colour changes, then it may indicate a heart issue.
Often referred to as a silent killer, cold hands can be a symptom of high cholesterol levels. Not only is it hard to detect—since in the early stages high cholesterol does not show any symptoms—but the only way to confirm your situation is with a blood test.
It causes a condition known as peripheral artery disease or PAD, that can sometimes lead to a high cholesterol diagnosis.
What is PAD?
According to experts, your arteries are shaped like hollow tubes that have a smooth lining, which prevents blood from clotting and promotes steady blood flow. When you have peripheral artery disease, plaq which is made of fat, forms gradually inside your artery walls. Slowly, this narrows your arteries.
Many plaque deposits are hard on the outside and soft on the inside. The hard surface can crack or tear, allowing platelets to come to the area. Blood clots can form around the plaque, making your artery even narrower. PAD can get worse faster in some people than others. Many other factors matter, including where in your body the plaque forms and your overall health.
Signs and symptoms of PAD
Doctors say the first symptom of PAD is usually pain, cramping, or discomfort in your hands or legs, and sometimes even buttocks. It happens when you are active and go away when you take proper rest. Other symptoms of peripheral artery disease include:
- Burning or aching pain in your hands and toes while resting, especially at night while lying flat
- Cool skin on your hands and even feet
- Redness or other color changes in your skin
- More frequent skin and soft tissue infections
- Sores on your hands, arms, and toes that do not heal
Most of the people who have peripheral vascular disease do not have any symptoms. PAD builds up over a lifetime, but symptoms may not become obvious until later in life. For many people, symptoms do not appear until their artery narrows by 60 per cent or more.
Complications caused by PAD
Experts say without treatment, those with PAD may need an amputation—the removal of part or all of your hands or feet, especially in people who also have diabetes.
It may happen since your body’s circulatory system is interconnected; the effects of PAD can extend beyond the affected limb. People with atherosclerosis of their legs often have it in other parts of their bodies.
What are the risk factors associated with PAD?
Doctors say the use of tobacco is the most important risk factor for PAD and its complications. According to studies, more than 80 per cent of those with the condition are smokers. Tobacco use increases the risk for PAD by 400 per cent and also brings on PAD symptoms almost 10 years earlier.
Compared with nonsmokers of the same age, people who smoke and have PAD are more likely to:
- Die of a heart attack or stroke
- Have poorer results with bypass surgery procedures on their legs
- Have a limb amputation
- Be age 50 years and older
- Have a personal or family history of heart or blood vessel disease
- Have high blood pressure
- Are obese
- Have a blood clotting disorder
- Have kidney disease
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