What does PVD mean in MEDICAL

What Is PVD?

PVD is a term used to describe a group of diseases which affect blood vessels found outside the heart and brain like arteries and veins in your limbs. These diseases can cause narrowing of the vessel walls called stenosis or blockages due to fatty deposits known as plaques building up on them which can reduce the amount of oxygenated blood reaching the extremities. Other conditions include aneurysms, which are weakened areas in a vessel wall that bulge and can burst, creating potentially life-threatening situations if not managed properly.

Causes

There are many things that can lead to PVD including unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity and lack of physical activity. Diabetes or high cholesterol levels may increase your risk too as these both have an effect on how much fat is being produced by your body which can then lead to plaque build up inside your artery walls. Genetics can also play a role in some cases depending on how likely you are to develop one of these conditions due to past history within your family who might already suffer with it themselves.

Symptoms

The primary symptoms associated with PVD include leg pain while walking (claudication), cramping in your limbs after exercise or restlessness at night time when lying down. It's also possible for some people to experience numbness or even coldness in their feet/toes too if they have poor circulation from PVD as this restricts how efficiently oxygenated blood is being sent through their vessels compared with someone who has no issues here. In more severe cases gangrene (tissue death) may occur due to serious blockages in larger arteries cutting off vital supply lines entirely so it's important not ignore any signs you might have similar problems occurring for yourself - just take action sooner rather than later!

Treatments

Treating underlying causes are always essential for managing PVD however sometimes medications such as aspirin, statins or even drugs that prevent clotting may be prescribed depending on individual circumstances/symptoms experienced by patients as well. Surgery may also be recommended if necessary again based upon what sort of damage has been discovered during investigations - this could involve anything from ballooning blocked vessels open up again right through complex bypass operations where grafts will be applied elsewhere within affected regions instead whilst another way would be angioplasty which involves inserting stents into narrowed areas so they stay widened out afterwards (this offers less risk than having surgery). As well as medications and operations lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, improving diet & increasing physical activity are common recommendations too since all these things contribute towards better health overall so they should all make sure they're incorporated into daily life routines!