UMC Offers Free Screening for Peripheral Vascular Disease, Sept. 23

University Medical Center will offer free, fast, painless screenings for peripheral vascular disease on Saturday, Sept. 23, as part of the Legs for Life National Screening Program. Screenings will be provided between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and are by appointment only. Please call 694-8888 to reserve a spot. Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a circulatory condition caused by blocked or narrowed arteries in the legs. The condition affects 8 million Americans, most of them over the age of 50.

If PVD is left untreated, walking can become painful and foot and leg sores may develop, said Ian D. Timms, M.D., UMC interventional radiologist and coordinator of the screening. People with PVD may have an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Early detection of PVD is important to successfully control and treat the disorder, Dr. Timms said.

The most common symptom of PVD is leg pain, particularly when walking or exercising, which disappears after a few minutes of rest. Other symptoms include numbness, tingling or coldness in the lower legs and feet and sores or ulcers on the feet and legs that do not heal.

Participants in the screening fill out a brief questionnaire regarding risk factors for PVD, have the blood pressures in their arms and legs taken, and meet with a physician who specializes in PVD treatment. Participants found to have significant PVD will be advised to follow up with their physicians.

Treatment options for PVD include lifestyle changes, angioplasty, medication, thrombectomy (removal of blood clots) and bypass graft, which creates a detour around a blocked artery. The Legs for Life national screening program is sponsored by the Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiologists. More information on the screening program and PVD can be found at www.legsforlife.org.