September marks National Vascular Disease awareness month, so our specialists at Georgia Endovascular wants to help you learn more about these conditions. Affecting your blood vessels and the flow of blood—through your veins and/or your arteries—vascular diseases tend to be progressive and can become life-threatening. In this post, we highlight common signs of vascular disease, also sharing ways to diagnose and treat these conditions.

What Causes Vascular Disease?

Vascular disease can affect your arteries, veins or even your capillaries. A common form of arterial vascular disease—Peripheral Arterial Disease—is caused by atherosclerosis. (Narrowing of the arteries due to the build-up of plaque along their walls.) In contrast, venous diseases are often the result of valve failure within the veins, allowing blood to pool unnaturally in the veins.

Some forms of vascular disease develop without a clear cause. But having diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, smoking or a family history of disease can all increase your risk for this group of conditions.

What Are Early Signs of Vascular Disease?

Symptoms will differ depending on whether your veins or arteries are affected. When arterial  disease is in its early stages, you may experience leg pain with movement that improves with rest. Conversely, with vein disease, your legs may feel tired and heavy or achy if you stand or sit for too long, but those symptoms often improve with movement.

How to Improve Vascular Disease

When vascular disease is due to genetics, you may require medical intervention. However, certain lifestyle measures can help reduce your risk for vascular disease, and may help improve existing symptoms. Being conscious of bad and good cholesterol in your diet can be helpful, as can getting regular exercise. If you have diabetes, make sure it is well-controlled, and if you are a smoker, now is the time to quit. You should also check-in regularly with our vascular specialists in Georgia, especially if your disease risk is elevated, as early diagnosis and treatment can prevent progression and allow you to avoid invasive procedures.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Vascular disease can typically be diagnosed with non-invasive tests such as the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI Test) or with an ultrasound vein evaluation. If signs of arterial or venous disease are detected, we can discuss your minimally-invasive treatment options—you can find symptom relief without undergoing surgery or staying overnight in the hospital. Concerned about your vascular disease risk? Noticing early signs of disease? We’re here to help. Contact our team to request a consultation at one of our three Georgia locations. When you meet with our team, we’ll review your current state of health and come up with the treatment plan that best suits your needs.