Peripheral Artery Disease Symptoms

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About 1 in 4 people with PAD experience common symptoms of the condition. More than half have nontypical symptoms, and about 1 in 5 people who have PAD do not report any symptoms. No matter the symptoms, everyone with PAD shares the same high risk of cardiovascular disease. Without treatment, PAD may cause sores, infections, and even the loss of a limb.

Symptoms of PAD can vary, but there are a few common ones.

• Pain, aching, heaviness, or cramping in your legs that comes when walking or climbing stairs and goes away after rest is called intermittent claudication. It is the most common PAD symptom. The pain is often in the calf, but you may also feel it in your buttocks, thigh, or foot.
• Your toenails and leg hair may stop growing.
• One foot may feel colder than the other.
• Your foot or leg may become pale, discolored, or blue.
• Leg weakness or numbness may make you feel off-balance or make it harder to walk.
• You may have pain or a feeling of pins and needles in your leg or foot.
• In severe PAD, pain in your leg and foot when at rest is called critical limb ischemia.
• Sores or wounds on your toes, feet, or legs may appear, may heal slowly, or may not heal at all. The sores may become infected.