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Best Practices / General Information about Vascular Disease

Today, vascular disease is one of the greatest threats to the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Thousand of U.S. citizens become disabled or die each year from the effects of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) and stroke. According to the Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) and the Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Coalition:

PAD affects 8-12 million in US
- Up to 20% of Americans ≥ 65 years old are affected by PAD
- Despite PAD prevalence, only 25% of PAD patients receive treatment
- Asymptomatic PAD estimated as high as 20% of the adult population
- PAD is a marker for systemic artery disease, including coronary artery disease (CAD)
- PAD patients are 4-5 times more likely to die from heart disease
- 1 in 4 with PAD will suffer a heart attack, stroke, amputation or death
AAA
- 200,000 cases diagnosed in U.S. each year
- 15,000 deaths each year in U.S.
- Few symptoms - can be safely treated or cured through early diagnosis
- There is a 60-90% death rate in those in whom AAA has ruptured
Stroke
- Stroke is the third leading cause of death and number one cause of adult disability in the U.S
- Stroke killed 162,272 in 2002
- There are 5,400,000 stroke survivors alive today
- There are 700,000 new or recurrent strokes annually

Many individuals presenting with these diseases experience few, if any symptoms, and those with symptoms often fail to report them to their physician. Fortunately, through early detection and treatment, thousands of lives can be saved each year and a dramatic reduction in healthcare expenditures can be realized.

Simple, painless and inexpensive, early detection of vascular disease through high-quality abbreviated exams helps identify disease in those individuals that are at greatest risk for vascular disease and who may benefit from more aggressive management of their risk factors, medical or surgical intervention or life-style changes.