Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)

  • Peripheral vascular disease refers to any disease or disorder of the circulatory system outside of the brain and heart and is caused by build up of fatty material within the vessels, called atherosclerosis.

  • High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking contribute to PVD.

  • People with PVD are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from a stroke or heart attack than people of the same age who do not have PVD.

  • Only about half of the individuals with PVD have symptoms. Call your doctor immediately if you have a sudden onset of leg pain, numbness, foot or toe pain when resting, or ongoing, unexplained leg pain.

For more information about women and heart health,

or to schedule an appointment with one of our expert cardiologists, call

216.844.8448

Online Wellness Tools

University Hospitals provides some quick and useful tools to help you estimate your healthy body weight, target heart rate, amount of body fat and more. They'll help you set exercise goals and educate you about your health. more about Wellness Tools...