ABPI Service

Symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease

Many people with PAD have no symptoms. However, some develop  a painful ache in their legs when they walk, which usually disappears after a few minutes' rest. The medical term for this is "intermittent claudication". The pain can range from mild to severe, and usually goes away after a few minutes when you rest your legs.

Both legs are often affected at the same time, although the pain may be worse in 1 leg. Other symptoms of PAD can include:

• hair loss on your legs and feet
• numbness or weakness in the legs
• brittle, slow-growing toenails
• ulcers (open sores) on your feet and legs, which do not heal.
• changing skin colour on your legs, such as turning paler than usual or blue - this may be harder to see on brown or black skin.
• shiny skin
• erectile dysfuntion in men
• the muscles in your legs shrinking (wasting)

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common condition where a build up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts blood supply to the leg muscles. It is also known as peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

The symptoms of PAD often develop slowly, over time. If your symptoms develop quickly, or get suddenly worse, it could be a sign of a serious problem requiring immediate treatment.

What is an ABPI Test?

An ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) test is a painless test which compares the blood flow in your ankle with the blood flow in your arm. This allows us to assess the overall blood flow in the arteries to your legs and feet. A small handheld Doppler machine which uses ultrasound is used to determine the blood flow. The test can be used to check for any problems with the arteries in your legs.

While you lie on your back, the GP or practice nurse will measure the blood pressure in your upper arms and ankles using a cuff and a Doppler probe. A Doppler probe uses sound waves to determine the blood flow in your arteries. after your scan, the GP will divide your blood pressure's second results (from your ankles) by the first results (from your arms). If your circulation is healthy, the blood pressure in both parts of your body should be exactly or almost the same. This would make the result of your ABPI 1.

However, if you have PAD, the blood pressure in your ankle will be lower because of a reduction in blood supply. This would make the result of the ABPI less than 1.

ABPI Service