{"id":130894,"date":"2023-04-19T13:50:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccs.ca\/?post_type=news&p=130894"},"modified":"2023-08-09T11:42:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T11:42:35","slug":"advances-in-management-of-under-recognized-underdiagnosed-undertreated-condition-will-save-life-and-limb-for-thousands-of-canadians","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ccs.ca\/news\/advances-in-management-of-under-recognized-underdiagnosed-undertreated-condition-will-save-life-and-limb-for-thousands-of-canadians\/","title":{"rendered":"Advances in management of \u2018under-recognized, underdiagnosed, undertreated\u2019 condition will save life and limb for thousands of Canadians"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Major update of CCS treatment guidelines for Peripheral Arterial Disease<\/em> highlights important new approaches to care<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Better diagnostics and drug treatments, improved lifestyle management, and new surgical interventions are part of the first major update in almost two decades of clinical practice guidelines for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a serious condition that affects more than 800,000 Canadians.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Despite the growing prevalence of PAD, which is characterized by blocked and damaged blood vessels in the limbs, it is \u201coften under-recognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated,\u201d says Dr. Beth Abramson, co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines for Peripheral Arterial Disease<\/a> expert panel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Damaged blood vessels in the limbs leave the heart starved for blood, and lead to the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe know if you have diseased blood vessels in your legs you\u2019re at high risk for blood vessel disease in your heart or in the arteries that go to your brain,\u201d says Dr. Abramson, who is the Paul Albrechtsen Professor in Cardiac Prevention\u00a0and Women’s\u00a0Health and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. \u201cAnd the more vascular beds that are affected, the worse someone\u2019s outcome.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The challenge with PAD is it\u2019s often hard to detect. Unlike the chest pain that results from blockages in the heart, damaged vessels in the limbs don\u2019t usually cause symptoms that patients view as potentially serious \u2013 symptoms such as fatigue, pain or cramping in the leg that goes away with rest.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The good news is that, when diagnosed, there are new drugs and therapies available to treat these high-risk patients, as well as new and important evidence-based behavioural changes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe have a host of anti-platelet and anti-thrombotic combinations and cholesterol-lowering medications and good evidence in this population to reduce serious symptoms and Major Adverse Limb Events (MALE) such as an amputation,\u201d Dr. Abramson says. \u201cWe know that from a quality-of-life and quantity-of-life perspective, if the patient ends up with an amputation, their subsequent risk of death and disability is very high.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The guidelines are a call-to-action for frontline providers and include these six takeaways<\/strong>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n