john paul runyon blog

One of the leading causes of death in the United States is a condition that many people don’t even know they have. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) affect approximately 2.7 million people in the United States, with an additional 200,000 new diagnosis each year,1 although most are asymptomatic, which makes diagnosis difficult. However, new treatments and early detection can make a difference in patient outcomes.

Most people are aware that atherosclerosis can cause blockages in the coronary arteries, resulting in chest pain or heart attack, or in the carotid arteries, precipitating a stroke. But atherosclerosis can lead to another serious but often under-diagnosed condition: peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Defined as atherosclerotic obstruction of the arteries to the lower extremities, PAD causes leg pain and is associated with other cardiovascular disease. Although lower extremity PAD affects an esti