You are walking down the street and soon begin to feel cramping and weakness in your legs. Soon after you stop and rest, the pain subsides, allowing you to resume walking. Does this sound familiar?

If so, there’s a chance you may have peripheral arterial disease (PAD) caused by fatty deposits that slowly build up within arteries and over time create enough restriction in blood flow to cause pain and fatigue. Eventually, the restrictions increase, putting you at great risk for a heart attack, stroke and/or limb amputations. PAD occurs gradually, but most people begin experiencing symptoms after age 50. It’s estimated that 20% of Americans have PAD by age 70.

Pottstown Memorial Medical Center recognizes the need for early detection to help in the prevention of PAD. Dr. Kartik Shah, interventional radiologist at PMMC, encourages people with symptoms to take part in a simple screening process. “You will be asked to fill out a questionnaire, walk for a short time period, and then be escorted to an area where a specialist will take blood pressure measurements of both your arms and legs. Our vascular specialists will personally contact the referring doctors of anyone found to be at moderate or high risk for PAD and the need for any further evaluation will be discussed at that time.”