The Fairfax, VA-based Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) is raising awareness of peripheral vascular disease with its Legs for Life campaign, which urges Americans to get screened for the condition in September.
PVD generally occurs in men and women over 50 years of age. It is characterized by clogging of the arteries in the legs, which can cause pain or swelling and numbness. Left untreated, PVD can put sufferers at risk of heart attack, stroke, and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Because symptoms disappear with just a few moments of rest, people often dismiss the pain as a symptom of the aging process -- a potentially life-threatening mistake, SIR warned.
Multidisciplinary teams of interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, and others across the U.S. will be conducting the Legs for Life National PVD and Triple A Screening Week from September 22-28. The program is free to anyone who thinks he or she may be at risk. For more information, please visit the Legs for Life Web site.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersAugust 23, 2002
Copyright © 2002 AuntMinnie.com
