Hattiesburg Clinic

HATTIEBURG- September, which is nationally recognized as Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) Awareness Month, offers an opportunity to learn about a potentially fatal disease that affects as many as 10 million Americans, often going unnoticed until it shows up in the form of severely clogged leg arteries or strokes.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) is caused by atherosclerotic plaque buildup in arteries that supply blood to the legs and other vital organs outside the heart, such as arteries to the brain and kidneys. This plaque buildup causes a restriction in blood flow to the legs or other organs. The most common symptom of P.A.D. is leg pain or cramping while walking, but in more severe cases, pain may occur at rest and eventually cause non-healing sores and ulcers and even limb loss.

Barbara Cedotal, 71, is living proof that active awareness of vascular disease and screenings can help defeat a silent killer such as P.A.D. Cedotal says that she had heard about peripheral vascular disease on television many times. Despite the knowledge that her father, brother and sister had all passed away from strokes or complications due to stroke, she had brushed aside the thought that it could happen to her. After her husband saw an advertisement for a screening at Hattiesburg Clinic, he insisted that she go. Following her screening in the fall of 2009, Cedotal was notified with the shocking result that her carotid artery was 67 percent blocked. After making the recommended visit to her primary physician, who suggested she see a vascular surgeon. She was referred by a friend and scheduled an appointment with vascular surgeon Keith Thompson, M.D., who immediately scheduled her for surgery at Forrest General to correct the blockage.

In a short two weeks after her surgery, Cedotal says she felt good, but still had limitations on what she could do. Today, she feels fully recovered and is enjoying working in her yard, cooking, trying new recipes, reading her Bible and going to church. She exercises at Forrest General’s LiveWell Center three times a week and counts herself fortunate to have good health. “I am glad my husband was so very persistent about us going to the screening,” said Cedotal. “At this point, I could have had a stroke and my activities limited, or even worse I could have died. Many thanks to Dr. Thompson for saving me from having a stroke. I recommend individuals who have a family medical history or any other risk factors that could lead to a stroke to have a peripheral vascular disease screening. This could save your life.”

“We as vascular specialists are trying to do our part to prevent catastrophic vascular events before they occur by helping provide screenings for at-risk individuals,” said vascular specialist Keith Thompson, D.O. “Much of vascular disease can often progress slowly over the years and may go missed, particularly with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). These tests can potentially be life saving.”

P.A.D. can lead to higher risk of heart attack or stroke. The people who are most at risk for P.A.D. include those with a family history of vascular disease, heart attack or stroke, those above 50 years of age, African Americans, and those who smoke or have diabetes, high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol.

Vascular screenings are important because they can identify at-risk patients and can give physicians time to fix any problems before the disease progresses too far, usually by administering medications to help slow the disease or by performing interventions to repair the disease. Forrest General and the Vascular Specialists of Hattiesburg Clinic have teamed up to present VascularLife, a group of vascular screenings. Hundreds of these tests have been performed on local patients. The painless, non-invasive screening consists of five different components, including Carotid Artery Ultrasound Screen, Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) Ultrasound Screen, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Ultrasound Screen, Peripheral Vascular Disease Screen and Atrial Fibrillation Screen. All of these tests, which would normally cost $129, are offered for only $89, which is a small price to pay for the peace of mind these screenings provide.

For more information about available vascular procedures or VascularLife screenings, call FGH On Call at 1-800-844-4445, then press 1, from 2 until 10 p.m., 7 days a week, or visit hattiesburgclinic.com or forrestgeneral.com.

Could you be at risk? Common risk factors that may make you more likely to develop vascular disease:

-          Family History of Vascular Disease

-          Increasing Age

-          Smoking or history of smoking

-          Diabetes

-          Obesity

-          High Cholesterol

-          Lack of Exercise

-          High Blood Pressure