Peripheral Vascular Disease and Cardiovascular Disease affects over 12 million people in the US and the most concerning aspect of that high number is that most people are not diagnosed early. Our ability to successfully manage the process is significantly improved when the conditions are diagnosed early. Early identification is improved when the public is informed about the risk factors and symptoms of the disease. Most of the risk factors can be immediately traced to our lifestyle,diet and nutrition:
Additionally a family history of premature cardiovascular disease in the absence of these risk factors increases ones risk significantly.
The process is sometimes referred to as the silent killer because it lies quiet as it evolves until one experiences stroke, heart attack or "poor circulation"
The PAD Coalition has a mission of improving the public's awareness of this process see www.beatpad.org.
To accomplish this will require a great deal of education and communication from the medical community.