Women's Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease

You're hearing a lot about women and heart health this month, but there's one sign of heart disease that you probably have not heard a lot about: peripheral artery disease or PAD. If you're a woman with PAD, you're two to three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than women who don't have it. Yet PAD in women is often unrecognized and untreated, according to the American Heart Association.

PAD is caused by a build-up of fat and other materials in blood vessels in the legs, feet and arms and other blood vessels outside of the heart. If it is untreated, it can limit your ability to walk and can also lead to tissue death and limb amputation.

The heart association estimates that about eight million Americans have PAD. It's increasingly common after age 50. Only about 10 percent experience leg pain, a warning sign of the disease, which usually goes away after resting.

Aside from age, major risk factors include smoking and diabetes. The heart association says that other conditions that may increase your risk of PAD include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and a family history of PAD.

Talk to your doctor about whether you should be screened for this condition. The diagnosis is fairly simple: the doctor will compare your arm blood pressure to your leg blood pressure.