PAD awareness campaign launched

Are you having leg pains when walking or coldness of one extremity accompanied by a change in color? Watch out! You might have peripheral arterial disease (PAD) which, if untreated, might lead to serious complications, including leg amputation.

In a continuing commitment to the Filipino patient, Otsuka Pharmaceutical recently launched the Improve Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness

Club (i-PAD), a project which aims to aid doctors diagnose PAD, especially among diabetic patients.

It also aims to disseminate information about PAD among people who are at risk of developing the disease.

Peripheral arterial disease is a problem with compromised blood flow in the arteries due to the build-up of fatty deposits (atherosclerosis).

Over time, the deposit builds up and blocks the smaller arteries first, such as in the legs. When not enough blood is supplied to the muscles due to the blockage, a person will experience claudication or leg pains.

Claudication, which is a common complaint of people with PAD, is a discomfort that is sometimes described as fatigue, a numbness, a cramping or may actually be a severe pain that occurs in leg muscles after walking a certain distance.

It may be relieved when the patient rests. It is equivalent to the chest pain called angina pectoris in patients who have narrowing of the heart arteries when coronary artery disease is present.

Diabetes and smoking are the strongest risk factors for PAD. Patients who are hypertensive and have high cholesterol levels are also prone to the disease.

Under the i-PAD program is the Bantay Paa project, whose primary goal is to determine the prevalence of PAD among diabetic patients through ABI (ankle brachial index) screening and monofilament testing.

ABI screening is a patient-friendly, inexpensive technique that compares blood pressures between the patient’s arms and ankles.

The ABI test is a useful tool, as it not only provides clinicians with a means of identification of PAD, but also with information regarding the severity of PAD that can assist in guiding a treatment approach.

Once diagnosed, patients will be given Pletaal (cilostazol) samples, an antiplatelet drug which has been shown in scientific studies to be effective in the treatment of PAD.

Studies have shown that diabetic and non-diabetic patients with PAD respond favorably to cilostazol. Patients are also given free patient footcare guide and other useful materials.

With a program like i-PAD and an effective medicine such as cilostazol, patients with PAD will now have strong allies against a deadly disease.

For inquiries about PAD and the i-PAD Awareness Club, call the i-PAD Connect hotline at 811-i-PAD for Metro Manila (811-4-723) or 1-800-811-i-PAD for provincial area (1-800-4-723).