What is Peripheral Vascular Disease?
The circulatory system is made up of veins arteries and capillaries, blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the other organs and back. Arteries carry oxygen and clean, rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Veins carry blood minus the oxygen and the leftovers disposed off by the cells through the lungs, liver and kidneys. The blood is then enriched with oxygen in the lungs and makes the trip back to the heart. Capillaries are the small thread-like vessels that connect the veins to the arteries.
Peripheral vascular disease is a circulatory disorder caused by the narrowing of blood vessels which leads to reduced blood flow. Although commonly used as a synonym for peripheral arterial disease, it can refer to a disorder in any type of blood vessel.