September marks Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Awareness Month. PAD is the narrowing of the arteries that carry blood away from the heart to other parts of the body. The most common type is lower-extremity PAD, in which blood flow is reduced to the legs and feet. Left untreated, it often increases risk of coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke.¹

PAD affects about 8.5 million U.S. adults over the age of 40 and often has a disproportionate impact across socioeconomic realities, geographies and races. For example, U.S. studies indicate that the likelihood that a person will be affected by PAD during their lifetime is 30 percent for Black males and 27 percent for Black females, compared to 22 percent for Hispanic and 19 percent for White adults.²

JD Meler, MD, Vice President of Medical & Clinical Affairs for BD Peripheral Intervention, recently discussed these disparities in a blog post for The MedTech Conference -- underscoring that the first step in addressing these factors is to understand the community.

He wrote, “This includes considering non-traditional methods of reaching patients, such as utilizing community centers, churches, and schools. Addressing systematic disparities may also include policy changes, such as increased accessibility and coverage for screening. It is also critical that PAD interventionalists connect to the continuum of care, extending to the general practitioner, podiatrist, endocrinologist, and others.”

Read the full blog post here.