Study Highlights:
“We are dealing with clinically and economically severe consequences of PAD, a disease which is truly preventable,” said Elizabeth Mahoney, Sc.D., the study’s lead author. “Our prior research estimated that vascular-related hospitalizations for PAD patients cost the United States $21 billion. Invasive treatment for PAD is costly, and a first invasive procedure becomes a risk factor for further procedures.”
PAD, a debilitating condition in which blood flow to the arteries in the legs is obstructed, affects an estimated 8 million Americans, a number expected to increase, said researchers. PAD also is associated with high risk of major cardiovascular events.
For the study, researchers used U.S.-based data from the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry, an international prospective registry of patients at risk for atherothrombosis, or hardening or narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup.
“PAD shares the same risk factors as cardiovascular conditions like stroke and heart attack, but does not always have the dramatic onset,” said Mahoney, director of health economics and technology assessment at the Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute of Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. “Even if it does, it’s not treated as seriously.”
"This high rate of hospitalizations would not be acceptable to most patients or physicians as an ideal course of care,” says senior author, Alan T. Hirsch, M.D., professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota. “No one should assume that the first admission for a PAD procedure is a permanent resolution or ‘fix’ of the underlying condition.”
To read more, click here.
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive and costly disease, but remains under-diagnosed and under treated.
- While current PAD treatments are effective at clearing artery blockages in the lower leg, high recurrence rates and the subsequent need for repeat procedures are costly.
- More widespread use of diagnostic tests and preventive strategies early in the disease course may help slow PAD’s progression and minimize the risk of poor outcomes.
“We are dealing with clinically and economically severe consequences of PAD, a disease which is truly preventable,” said Elizabeth Mahoney, Sc.D., the study’s lead author. “Our prior research estimated that vascular-related hospitalizations for PAD patients cost the United States $21 billion. Invasive treatment for PAD is costly, and a first invasive procedure becomes a risk factor for further procedures.”
PAD, a debilitating condition in which blood flow to the arteries in the legs is obstructed, affects an estimated 8 million Americans, a number expected to increase, said researchers. PAD also is associated with high risk of major cardiovascular events.
For the study, researchers used U.S.-based data from the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry, an international prospective registry of patients at risk for atherothrombosis, or hardening or narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup.
“PAD shares the same risk factors as cardiovascular conditions like stroke and heart attack, but does not always have the dramatic onset,” said Mahoney, director of health economics and technology assessment at the Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute of Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. “Even if it does, it’s not treated as seriously.”
"This high rate of hospitalizations would not be acceptable to most patients or physicians as an ideal course of care,” says senior author, Alan T. Hirsch, M.D., professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota. “No one should assume that the first admission for a PAD procedure is a permanent resolution or ‘fix’ of the underlying condition.”
To read more, click here.
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