New Studies For Treatment of PAD in The Legs
Two New Studies of Peripheral Arterial Disease Potentially Detect & Guard Against Vascular Disease
What is Peripheral Arterial Disease?
This is a vascular disease where plaque builds up in the arteries causing the blood flow to the limbs, head and organs to be restricted. Arteries help the blood circulation flow away from the heart and lungs. In severe PAD cases, an amputation is required.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects as many as 8 million people, many of them over the age of 50. PAD can raise the risk of limb loss, heart attack and stroke because arteries become clogged and blood flow to the organs is reduced.
Study #1: Peripheral Arterial Disease potentially detected in protein
New research by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates that high levels of a specific protein (cFAS) circulating in the blood accurately detect a severe type of peripheral artery disease.
The new study suggests that cFAS may play a potential role in the plaque formation of cardiovascular disease.
What does it mean for new drugs?
The team led by Dr. Mohamed Zayed is investigating cFAS as a potential therapeutic target that could slow plaque buildup and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
After clinical trials, these drugs can potentially target these proteins to prevent plaque formation for patients. Animal testing has started for the drug to target these proteins but no clinical trials are underway at the moment.
Dr. Zayed said, “There are drugs that inhibit fatty acid synthase, and we’re working on evaluating new ones that are more targeted.”
Dr. Zayed, a vascular surgeon, also noted that in the future it would be wonderful to be able to practice precision vascular medicine—to tailor therapy to high-risk patients to reduce their risk of developing severe complications of vascular disease.
Study #2: RNA Molecule That Guards Against PAD
Researchers believe they’ve identified a molecule of RNA that helps protect a person’s blood vessel walls from vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, sharing their findings in Circulation.
An abundance of CARMIN, RNA molecules, has been found to give blood vessels strength and flexibility and decrease vascular disease. Lower amounts of this RNA molecule give you a higher possibility to get atherosclerosis or angioplasty-induced restenosis. This can prevent a minimally-invasive procedure called an angiogram.
What does it mean for a new treatment option?
Dr. Jiliang Zhou states, “CARMN levels may even help determine initial disease risk.”
Dr. Zhou and colleagues also noted that they are exploring that association further, and want to answer questions like whether exercise can increase CARMN levels and whether aging decreases them, as he expects they do.
How exercise can prevent and treat PAD
Treadmill walking and supervised exercise therapy (SET) program help patients push past pain in the legs when done three times a week while being monitored by a nurse or other medical professional.
“Basically, walking improves the way muscles use oxygen or helps develop more blood vessels to increase the supply of oxygen,” says Mark Jordan, a senior clinical exercise physiologist who leads SET sessions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania. This can lower symptoms of leg pain as they age.
Some SET programs blend in other forms of exercise. These can include stationary bikes or rowing machines. SET programs also educate you about the disease itself and about healthy eating to improve your risks. Some SET programs include a nutritionist on the medical team.
What to expect from CVM?
At the Center for Vascular Medicine, our mission is to help patients with their vascular diseases in a cost-effective and compassionate manner. We specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of venous and arterial diseases in the legs, feet, and pelvis. Our world-class providers are the most experienced in the specialty and work with patients to develop a treatment plan that is custom-tailored to their unique situation. Please schedule a consultation here.
Typically, this process involves an initial consultation with a possible ultrasound scan at one of our facilities. After reviewing the results of your scan and obtaining a thorough medical history, our providers will discuss the results with you and help you decide on the next steps.
Our health care providers use several diagnostic tests to help determine what vascular diseases may be causing your symptoms. Our initial evaluations utilize ultrasound because this non-invasive imaging modality helps us verify our suspicions on whether your symptoms are caused by underlying vascular disease.
However, ultrasound alone cannot confirm a diagnosis. The gold standard of diagnosis in our field includes angiogram and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). These imaging modalities are minimally-invasive so we always opt to begin with ultrasound before recommending further evaluation. If a procedure is recommended, our provider team will go through all of your options in detail and provide all the information you need to make an informed decision. Please schedule a consultation here.
