Key Symptoms Of Peripheral Vascular Disease

Fatigue

Fatigue due to peripheral vascular disease most often occurs in a patient's limbs. The mechanism behind fatigue in the limbs is related to the lack of blood flow that occurs in the affected tissues. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the legs and arms so they can use these substances to carry out their functional processes. A restriction in blood flow does not allow oxygen and nutrients to reach these cells, which causes them to be unable to produce a form of cellular energy called ATP that is required for the cell to operate. When the nerve cells in the arms or legs cannot produce ATP, they are unable to conduct impulses to the muscle tissues properly. Without proper nerve transmission to the muscle cells, the patient will feel fatigued in the affected limb because of the significant amount of effort it takes to move the muscles. Muscle cells themselves that do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to produce ATP can become impaired as well, exacerbating the fatigue in limbs of patients.

Continue reading to uncover more key symptoms of peripheral vascular disease now.