Heart Health

Peripheral artery disease: An update

For the first time in decades, there's a new therapy for this often-unrecognized cause of leg pain.

By , Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
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Fatty plaque can accumulate not only in the arteries that supply your heart, but also the ones in your legs. Known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), this plaque buildup can cause a painful, crampy sensation or even just fatigue in one or both legs when you walk. The discomfort is called claudication, from the Latin word meaning “to limp.”

Smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol increase the risk of PAD, which affects nearly one in three people over age 75. Beyond quitting smoking, regular walking is the best treatment for PAD. Now, a new study shows that semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) can help people with PAD and diabetes walk farther and also improve their quality of life (see “An already approved drug finds use for PAD”).

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About the Author

photo of Julie Corliss

Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter

Julie Corliss is the executive editor of the Harvard Heart Letter. Before working at Harvard, she was a medical writer and editor at HealthNews, a consumer newsletter affiliated with The New England Journal of Medicine. She … See Full Bio
View all posts by Julie Corliss

About the Reviewer

photo of Christopher P. Cannon, MD

Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Dr. Christopher P. Cannon is editor in chief of the Harvard Heart Letter. He is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and senior physician in the Preventive Cardiology section of the Cardiovascular Division at … See Full Bio
View all posts by Christopher P. Cannon, MD
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