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News Release
University of Colorado Hospital Offers Free Peripheral Arterial Disease Screenings
DENVER (Oct. 5, 2005) — As part of a national effort to identify people with peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, a largely unknown but treatable circulatory condition, the University of Colorado Hospital's Heart Center is offering free screenings to the public on Oct. 15.
Peripheral arterial disease affects some 10 million Americans. Many live with the pain, wrongly assuming it is a normal part of the aging process. PAD can develop as a result of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, or when a blood clot forms in an artery. It can happen to anyone, but is most common in men and women over the age of 50.
A national PAD screening program called Legs for Life® is being sponsored by the Society of Interventional Radiology. Anyone interested in going through the screening process should call (303) 372-6066 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, to make an appointment. The screenings will take place 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Oct. 15 at the University of Colorado Hospital's Heart Center at 4200 E. Ninth Ave. in Denver.
During the screenings, health care professionals will check people for symptoms of PAD and provide participants with an evaluation of their risk for the disease by taking arm and ankle blood pressure readings. Participants also will be asked to complete a questionnaire.
The most common signs of PAD include aches, tiredness or cramping in the legs that disappears after a few minutes of rest following walking and other physical activities.
Individuals reporting symptoms of PAD, those who have multiple cardiovascular risk factors, and those with abnormal blood pressure readings will be advised to consult further with their primary care physicians. Risk factors include: smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, a family history of heart or vascular disease, being overweight and lack of physical activity.
University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's leading academic tertiary care and referral center, and has been recognized as one of the United States' best hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the hospital is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uch.edu.