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September is National Vascular Disease Awareness Month

Legs For Life^® is a national screening program dedicated to improving the cardiovascular health of the community.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) affects an estimated 8 to 10 million people in the US. Individuals with PAD are at greater risk for heart attack, stroke, and loss of limbs, yet awareness among the general public and primary care physicians regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this disease is extremely low.

PAD develops most commonly as a result of atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries," which occurs when cholesterol and scar tissue build up, forming a substance called plaque inside the arteries that narrows and clogs the arteries. This is a very serious condition. The clogged arteries cause decreased blood flow to the legs, which can result in pain when walking, and eventually gangrene and amputation.

Recognizing this problem, the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) developed Legs For Life®, a public education/community wellness program that screens people who may be at risk for PAD and helps them take the next step in resolving the pain they are experiencing. The PAD screenings at participating Legs For Life sites are offered at no charge as a community service. The program's mission is to improve the cardiovascular health of people in our communities.

The primary goals of the Legs For Life program are to educate the public, to educate primary care physicians and the medical community, to identify patients at risk, and to strengthen collaborative relationships among health care professionals who treat this condition.

SIR has declared September Legs For Life – National Screening Month for PAD Leg Pain and will coordinate free screenings in hundreds of hospitals, clinics, and senior centers across the country.

During this national screening week, a team of health professionals and volunteers will hold one- or two-day patient screenings. Using a questionnaire and Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) test results obtained at the screening, members and their colleagues counsel patients on PAD prevention and their risk for PAD. Using a questionnaire or ultrasound many sites also screen for AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm) and/or provide education about the disease. Patients screened are referred on to their primary care physicians for additional diagnosis and treatment.

For more information regarding Legs For Life^® or to schedule a screening for Vascular Disease, please visit their website at http://www.legsforlife.org/.

The Legs For Life^® screening takes place every year in September. Start checking the database around the second week in August for the sites that have volunteered to do the screening.

To help promote leg health awareness,  Ames Walker Medical Hosiery wishes to thank the Society of Interventional Radiology for their permission to provide this vital information and service. 

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The information collected here has been developed over searches on the internet.  We are not in any way responsible for, or endorse, information on other web sites, it is here for public information.   Your doctor is the best source of leg health information and treatment.  We hope you find this information helpful.  This article has been provided courtesy of  Ames Walker Hosiery (ameswalker.com) and may be reproduced for personal use provided no part of this article (including the text contents) has been changed. Copyright © 2003  Ames Walker International Inc.