Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is often neglected, but awareness of the condition can ensure that people receive proper treatment and avoid amputation, Taiwan Society of Peripheral Interventions (TSPI) chairperson Hsu Chung-ho (徐中和) said yesterday.
Hsu, who is also the director of China Medical University Hospital’s Peripheral Vascular Disease Department, made the remarks at the organization’s inaugural meeting in Taipei.
The TSPI is the first academic organization to focus on medical research of PAD in Taiwan, Hsu said, adding that it aims to enhance expertise and clinical practices, introducing advanced cardiovascular interventional technology to the nation.
Photo courtesy of TSPI
PAD has long been neglected in Taiwan, he said, adding that many patients seek medical treatment with several doctors for sores or wounds on their feet or legs that were not healing, or for coldness, numbness or weakness in the lower leg or foot, but doctors do not realize they might be caused by PAD, delaying diagnoses.
Many people with chronic PAD try different medications with no effect, and eventually have to undergo amputation, but if they are diagnosed earlier and received proper treatment to open or bypass artery blockages, they could avoid amputation, he said.
The meeting was attended by interdisciplinary physicians, including former National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin branch superintendent Hwang Juey-jen (黃瑞仁), as well as several Japanese cardiologists, including former Japan Endovascular Treatment Conference executive committee chairman Osamu Iida, Tatsuya Nakama and Masahiko Fujihara.
Because Japan and Taiwan have aging societies with similar social environments, genetic features and a high prevalence of diabetes, Iida said that he hopes the Japan Endovascular Treatment Conference and TSPI can share clinical data and experiences, cooperating to improve treatments for people with PAD in both countries.
Most medication to treat PAD is based on data provided by Western countries, but there are some genetic differences between Asians and people from the West, Hsu said, adding that a Japanese and Taiwanese collaboration could develop PAD treatment guidelines specific to Asians.
Asian adults are generally less resistant to insulin, less effective at absorbing blood sugar and have a higher prevalence of diabetes, Hwang said, adding that people with diabetes have a higher risk of atherosclerosis — a hardening of arteries, and a main cause of PAD — so they should take an Ankle Brachial Index test every year to assess vascular status and check for PAD.
People with signs of acute limb ischemia — a sudden decrease in blood flow to a limb — can be assessed with the “five Ps” — pain, pulse, paresthesia (a numb or tingling sensation), pallor and paralysis, he said, adding that people with diabetes should take an Ankle Brachial Index test regularly.
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