Vascular disease

At Aurora, we help prevent illness, not just treat it. Our cardiovascular experts, neurologists, wound care specialists, and podiatrists all work together to catch vascular disease as early as possible – sometimes even before you notice any symptoms.

What is vascular disease?

Your vascular system is made up of vessels that carry blood throughout your body. Also called the circulatory system, it includes your arteries and veins that carry oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and take away waste.

Vascular disease is the umbrella term for diseases of your circulatory system. There are many types of vascular disease and causes vary by type. See the heart and vascular conditions we treat.

It’s important to get evaluated and treated for vascular conditions as they can lead to serious complications like a heart attack or stroke.

Vascular disease symptoms

Certain symptoms can be a sign you’re developing vascular disease. Talk with your doctor if you have one or more of these symptoms:

• Unexplained, persistent abdominal or back pain
• Changes or discoloration on the skin of your lower legs
• Cramping in your legs, especially when you walk or exercise
• High blood pressure
• Leg or foot wounds that don’t heal
• Pain, swelling or inflammation in your veins
• Pain, swelling, achiness or numbness in your arms or legs

Vascular disease diagnosis

To diagnose vascular disease, your doctor will start with a thorough physical exam and review your medical history. We constantly watch for conditions or test results that may signal you’re developing vascular disease and may order additional testing even before you notice any pain or problems.

And we’ll always respect your time. We often can order a test for you to take in the same building right after your office visit.

Some of the tests we use include:

• Angiography, an X-ray test of your blood vessels or organs using a special camera and dye
• Ankle-brachial index test that compares blood pressure in your ankle with blood pressure in your arm
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) to check your heart’s electrical activity
• Radiographic imaging, such as X-rays, CT scan, and MRI
• Ultrasound that uses sound waves to detect blood clots and observe blood flow in the legs

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Vascular disease treatment

Treating vascular conditions is our specialty. And while we see many people for many different vascular conditions, your treatment plan will always be personalized to you. We’ll base your treatment on your health, the specific vascular disease, and the severity of your symptoms.

We may recommend:

• Medications to prevent and dissolve clots in your veins or arteries, or reduce your blood pressure or cholesterol
• Minimally invasive procedures, such as angioplasty or stenting to open blocked or narrowed veins and arteries, vein ligation and stripping to tie off and remove damaged veins, or wearing compression stockings
• Vascular or endovascular surgery for more advanced conditions

Find out more about our vascular services.

Are you at risk for heart disease?

Knowing your risk factors of heart disease – the leading cause of death in the U.S. – can help you lower your chances of developing it. Our heart health quiz estimates your risk, determines which of your risk factors are controllable and gives you an idea of what to do next based on your results.

Take the heart health quiz