BCM studies new treatments to unclog blocked arteries in the legs
Atherosclerosis can cause serious problems in the legs, as well as the heart, say experts at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
As people age, the normal flow of blood through the legs and feet can be affected by the build up of plaque inside the legs arteries and having pain while walking is the first sign of leg artery disease, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Two current treatments for leg atherosclerosis include exercise programs and medication, and BCM is currently studying two new forms of treatment, an aggressive new combination of lipid management drugs for patients with less severe PAD and a gene therapy option for patients with advanced leg ischemia.
We hope the new combination of medications consisting of three lipid-lowering drugs, compared to just one in standard medication therapy, will work to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol, said Dr. Alan Lumsden, a professor and chief of the division of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at BCM. This new combination will work to reduce the chance of atherosclerosis in the heart and other arteries.
The gene therapy study for patients with severe leg blockage involves injecting a growth factor, a substance that the body produces naturally in the liver and other organs of the body, into the leg. The growth factor will have the ability to cause new blood vessels to grow from existing blood vessels.
Only patients with severely reduced blood flow caused by blocked arteries in the leg will be considered for the gene therapy study, said Lumsden.
A persons risk of developing peripheral arterial disease increases with age, with people over age 50 being at greatest risk of developing the disease. It effects 20 percent of people over 70 years of age in the United States and can be life-threatening if not treated properly.
PAD refers to a partial or complete blockage of the circulation to the legs or the feet, and the first sign is cramping while walking because of blockage in the femoral artery, said Lumsden.
As the disease progresses, it starts involving blood vessels below the knee and patients may then have limb-threatening atherosclerosis in the legs.
It is very common for someone with atherosclerosis in the leg to have it in the heart, said Lumsden. More than 40 percent of patients with PAD will have coronary disease.
Factors that contribute to the risk of developing leg artery disease are:
· Smoking.
· Hypertension, or high blood pressure.
· Diabetes mellitus.
· High levels of cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood.
· Being more than 30 percent over ones ideal weight.
For more information or to enroll in the lipid management study, contact Shawna Johnson at 731-798-2301. For more information or to enroll in the gene therapy study, contact Priscilla Miller at 713-798-3106.