Facts About Vascular Disease

Carotid Artery Stenosis is responsible for at least 300,000 strokes a year. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in this country. The annual cost of care for stroke victims is incredible and it is a leading cause of disability in this country. Unfortunately, the majority of patients who have stroke from carotid artery disease have no warning prior to the event. Many people do not understand the significance of carotid disease risk factors and do not seek proper medical attention. Patients with vascular disease affecting the heart, legs or renal arteries have at least a 15-20% chance of having significant carotid disease.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms affect over 2.3 million Americans but rarely produce symptoms until they rupture. If the aneurysm should rupture there is a 90% mortality rate making aneurysms the 13th cause of death in this country. If the aneurysm is detected early and treated, over 95% of people survive. Screening for aneurysms is particularly important for those patients with a family history of aneurysms and elderly patients (particularly males) with a history of smoking and hypertension. Physical examination is enough but a brief ultrasound examination will exclude the presence of the AAA. It is important to know that new methods for treating aneurysms are less invasive and require only a one-day stay in the hospital.

Renal Artery Stenosis affects over 5 million Americans, does not produce symptoms and is rarely detected before complications occur. These complications include kidney failure and severe hypertension or blood pressure. Over 15-20% of patients on hemodialysis require this treatment as a result of undiagnosed renal artery stenosis. Ultrasound examination done with a well-trained technician can detect renal artery stenosis. The vast majority of patients can be successfully treated as an outpatient with an angioplasty and stent.

Extremity Artery Stenosis, or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), affects over 10 million Americans. While many patients with PVD can be treated effectively with risk factor modification and exercise programs, it is critical to identify even the asymptomatic patient. People with PVD have a worse survival rate than breast cancer patients. PVD can be detected with a simple test in the primary care physician’s office. Early detection and modifying the risk factors of smoking, hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol can improve the survival rates for these people.