24th February 2016 -
Smokers are being warned that they are at higher risk of amputation because
the habit can cause a vascular disease.Experts at the British Heart Foundation say more than a million people in the
UK could be living with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and that 9 out of 10
people with the condition are known to be smokers or ex-smokers.The warning comes in the lead up to No
Smoking Day, which health campaigners say represents an important opportunity
to quit smoking.
Restricted blood supply
PAD - which is also called peripheral vascular disease (PVD) - occurs when deposits of fat
build up in arteries and restricts blood supply to the legs. This process is called atherosclerosis, which can also lead to heart attacks and strokes.Around half of all people with PAD experience
no symptoms, making the condition a largely unknown killer.Left untreated, PAD can cause tissues in the
leg to die, causing conditions like gangrene and critical limb ischaemia (CLI)
where blood flow to the limbs is severely restricted. These complications
result in amputations in around 3 out of 10 cases.
Quit smoking 'to reduce
risk'
In a statement, Dr Mike Knapton, associate
medical director at the British Heart Foundation, says: "We do know that
stopping smoking is the single most effective way of reducing your risk of
developing this potentially deadly disease and with No Smoking Day on March 9,
now is a great time to prepare to start your quitting journey."Bijan Modarai, a consultant in vascular
surgery at King’s College London and St Thomas’ Hospital, is leading a study
funded by the British Heart Foundation to develop a technique to check whether
an affected limb can be saved through surgery. The hope is that some people
will be saved from having to undergo amputation.
Mr Modarai says in a statement: "This
dangerous disease very often goes undiagnosed and although there are half a
million people in the UK officially suffering with PAD, I estimate that there
could be over one million living with the condition."Approximately 30,000 adults have the
most severe form of the condition, which results in at least 9,000 amputations
per year."I see patients - the vast majority of
whom are smokers - repeatedly having to go through painful surgery to ease the
suffering of PAD and CLI. Research is the only way we will help improve the
treatment."
'The pain got worse and worse'
Brian Shead, 61, from Edenbridge in Kent, has
undergone extensive treatment for CLI in both legs. He started smoking at 13
and has smoked up to 40 cigarettes a day.Mr Shead told the charity: "The pain in
my legs started off small and gradually got worse and worse until I could
barely walk. I had no idea that my smoking habit was causing it, and when I
realised how serious my condition was, I cut down smoking immediately."Due to the severity of my condition,
and the number of years I smoked I had to have surgery on both my legs. It’s so
important that people understand the devastating effect smoking can have. I was
lucky and didn’t have to have an amputation, but many aren’t."Latest figures covering smoking and
e-cigarette use published earlier this month show that 20% of British men and 17% of women smoke tobacco.
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