Gary Barg:
What should people know about PAD?
Phylicia Rashad:
That the people who are at
greatest risk for developing PAD are
those with diabetes who are over 50
years old, who have hypertension,
high cholesterol, people who are
heavy smokers, people over 70;
people with a history of heart
attack or a stroke in their family.
GB: How
has PAD affected your family?
PR: When I
did hear about PAD, I thought about
my father immediately, because my
father had diabetes and he died of a
heart attack. Then I continued to
read about PAD and I remember the
moment that I read about one of the
common symptoms, cramping in the
legs. My dad used to complain about
that. His legs would cramp and we
thought it was because he had been
practicing dentistry for almost 35
years, standing up the whole time
because he refused to sit down. You
could attribute it to that.
Oftentimes when people have
discomfort in their legs, it is
attributed to being tired, or they
think, “I have been standing too
long” or “I am getting older,” not
considering that there could be a
cardiovascular problem at the root
of this.
GB: It
sounds like it makes a lot of sense
to educate yourself about the risk
factors and then be in honest
communication with your loved ones
to determine if they are at risk.
PR: If you
have these risk factors, or if you
just want to know, you can ask for
the A.B.I. test. That is the
Ankle-Brachial Index test which
involves taking the blood pressure
at both arms and then at both
ankles. The diagnosis for PAD
is significant in that PAD is a
warning there is poor circulation in
your arteries in your legs. If
there is, there is poor circulation
in arteries leading to the heart and
to the brain.
GB: So in
all things, knowledge in this case
is power.
PR: Knowledge
is power.
GB: What
is a PAD hotspot?
PR: A PAD
hotspot is an area in which there is
a prevalence of PAD diagnosis, or
people who are at risk.
Phylicia Rashad, actor, producer,
writer, is possibly most recognized for
her stellar role as Clair Olivia Hanks
Huxtable, the wife/partner of Heathcliff
“Cliff” Huxtable (Bill Cosby) on The
Cosby Show.