Vascular Disease Specialist

What is vascular disease?

Vascular disease is the name for a wide range of conditions that adversely affect arteries and veins.

In some cases, blood flow is slowed or blocked, while other vascular diseases cause the backflow or pooling of blood.

If left untreated, vascular disease can cause serious health issues, such as a heart attack or stroke as well as major disabilities such as the amputation of a limb.

Vascular diseases fall into categories and include:

Arterial disease

This includes conditions such as peripheral artery disease (PAD). With PAD, plaque builds up inside your arteries, causing them to harden and block blood flow of oxygenated blood to your legs. PAD can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or amputation due to gangrene.

Venous disease

Varicose and spider veins fall into this category. These conditions are caused when blood moves backward instead of toward the heart due to faulty valves in the blood vessels.

Blood clots

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one of these vascular conditions. DVT is a serious medical condition where the veins located deep in the body become blocked and form a blood clot.

Vascular diseases range from the minor, cosmetic annoyance to a truly life-threatening issue. Contact the experienced medical professionals at Bloomfield Vein & Vascular for a thorough examination if you’re concerned about any of these problems.

Are there risk factors for developing vascular disease?

Family history or genetics play a significant role in developing vascular disease. Other risk factors can also make you more prone to vascular disease. These include:

• Diabetes
• Being a smoker
• Being overweight or obese
• High blood pressure
• Being inactive or sedentary
• High cholesterol or triglyceride levels

Having one or more of these risk factors doesn’t mean you’ll develop the disease. However, it makes it more vital to pay attention to the symptoms of the disease and take action to minimize your risk, where possible.

How are vascular diseases treated?

There are a variety of treatment options available to tackle vascular disease. At Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC, the highly trained and experienced medical staff offers minimally invasive treatment options including:

• Angioplasty:  During this procedure, the provider inserts a catheter into the blocked artery and inflates a balloon to open the blockage.
• Stenting:  When angioplasty doesn’t work or isn’t enough to resolve the issue, your provider uses a stent or small metal cylinder to support the wall of the blood vessel.
• Atherectomy: This process shaves down the plaque using a diamond burr that spins at very high speeds inside the affected artery.  

If you have concerns about vascular disease make an appointment at Bloomfield Vein & Vascular PLLC, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Book online or call today.