Timely vascular care can save limbs, says Vascular Surgeon Dr S Srikanth Raju of Yashoda Hospital, Hitec City, Hyderabad
KARIMNAGAR, FEBRUARY 25, 2026: Dr S Srikanth Raju, Vascular Surgeon, Endovascular Surgeon and Clinical Director, Yashoda Hospital, Hitec City, Hyderabad, said that 30 per cent of people living with diabetes have either symptomatic or silent Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).
Talking to newsmen here on Wednesday at Yashoda Health Centre, Dr Srikanth said that “PAD is not a rare complication restricted to a few. What makes it particularly concerning is the persistence of a myth that diabetes affects only the smaller blood vessels of the foot. In reality, macrovascular disease—blockages in the larger arteries—is equally, if not more, prevalent, and is a major contributor to non-healing ulcers and amputations”.
Diabetes often announces itself quietly, but the damage it causes to our blood vessels can be far from silent. Among the many complications it brings, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the most overlooked—and yet one of the most revealing. While high blood sugar gradually injures blood vessels, one of the earliest and most revealing signs of this damage often appears in the legs. This is why clinicians commonly say, “the foot is the index of the heart.” The blood vessels in the feet can quietly reflect the same blockages and narrowing that may be developing in the coronary arteries, he stated.
He explained that PAD, in simple words, means occlusion of peripheral arteries (blood vessels) supplying our limbs (more commonly, legs). PAD is a threat not only to our legs but also to our overall health. PAD is age-related, and as the global population is ageing, the world is facing an increase in disease burden over the last few decades. It has an association with arterial occlusion in the brain and heart too. A significant number of people lose their legs due to critical limb ischemia caused by PAD.
He also stated that this disease not only impacts the life of the person affected by this, but also brings immense physical, psychological, and financial burden on the whole family. Timely diagnosis and treatment of this disease can save many legs, lives and families. Although this disease has a significant incidence and a huge social impact, there is still a lack of awareness among the public regarding this illness. The public needs to understand options for its prevention, detection, and various treatment options available.
Most important causes of PAD include diabetes mellitus and tobacco abuse. Other causes include hypertension, high blood cholesterol and connective tissue disorders etc. Occlusion of athe rteries of lthe eg affects the oxygen and nutrient supply to the leg. One of the classical presentations inthe early phase is calf muscle pain when pa erson walks, which subsides with rest. Later, a person can develop pain even at rest, which disturbs sleep and compromises the quality of life. Many develop ulcers or gangrene of toes, which may progress to involve the entire foot or leg. This sequence may not always be followed, and the disease may reveal only when the person suffers trauma or infection of foot, which may not heal for a long time, andthe person suffers non-healing wounds or major infections, ultimately requiring amputation of the leg.
When someone develops symptoms such as pain on walking or on rest, gangrene or a non-healing wound; should immediately seek medical attention and get an examination done for blood vessels. Diabetics should keep their blood sugar under control and take proper foot care. A healthy lifestyle i.e healthy diet, exercise, and abstinence from tobacco, can prevent the disease from developing in many and can reduce the disease severity as well.
Timely treatment is the key to saving the leg. Early symptoms can be managed by lifestyle modification, sugar control, monitored exercise regime and medications. But more advanced disease will require endovascular intervention or surgery to open the arteries with angioplasty and related procedures, or to bypass the occlusion using a surgical graft. In the recent past, endovascular interventions like angioplasty have gained popularity as they can be done without anaesthesia, require no suture, have no pain, and the patient can walk home early after the procedure. In this, through a needle inserted into the blood vessel, occlusion is opened using specialised balloons and stents and related techniques, under X-ray guidance. With advancements in treatment techniques, it has been possible to save more limbs from amputation.
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