How Alcohol Increases PAD Risk

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a progressive cardiovascular condition affecting your arteries (the vessels that are tasked with transporting blood from your heart to your body.) When you have PAD, your arteries narrow due to built-up plaque deposits. And that narrowing reduces your blood supply, most often to your lower extremities. As such, common symptoms include leg pain with walking that improves with rest.

Multiple factors can increase your risk for developing this condition. And one of those factors is regular alcohol consumption. But how does alcohol use increase PAD risk? Here’s what you need to know.

How Alcohol Increases PAD Risk

When you regularly consume alcohol, that increases the amount of stress and inflammation in the lining of your blood vessels. When that happens, plaque is more likely to build up in your arteries, causing the narrowing (atherosclerosis) that leads to PAD development.

But that’s not the only way that alcohol increases your risk for this disease. You see, drinking alcoholic beverages also increases your risk for high blood pressure. And higher blood pressure can speed up the narrowing of your blood vessels. Furthermore, chronic alcohol use increases your risk for forming blood clots, according to this study. And when clots form in already-narrowed arteries, your blood flow will be further reduced, worsening PAD.

Signs and Symptoms

How can you tell if alcohol use or other risk factors have led to narrowed arteries? Often PAD is difficult to diagnose, since early symptoms mimic those of other conditions. But some of the early symptoms to watch for include:

Pain with physical activity that improves with rest. This pain results from your moving body’s increased demand—the limited blood that flows to your legs due to PAD cannot meet that demand, causing painful cramping (claudication.)

Slow-to-heal wounds, again due to diminished blood flow to the legs

Slow-growing leg hair, or patches of skin without any hair

If you regularly use alcohol and notice any of these PAD symptoms, it’s important to speak to your healthcare provider right away. A simple, non-invasive test can determine whether narrowed arteries have reduced blood flow to your legs, helping you begin treatment to prevent progression and further complications.

Other Vascular Conditions Impacted by Alcohol Use

In addition to increasing PAD risk, drinking alcohol can also dilate your blood vessels, allowing more blood to pool in your legs. Over time, this can put excess pressure on your leg veins, increasing your risk for chronic venous insufficiency as well as varicose veins. Drinking alcohol also increases your risk for blood clots, as we mentioned earlier, and that means you’re more likely to develop a deep vein thrombosis.

Managing Alcohol Use to Reduce PAD Risk

Infrequent use of alcohol should not dramatically increase your risk for peripheral arterial disease. However, if you have additional PAD risk factors, you should limit your use of alcohol products. Should you develop symptoms aligning with PAD we recommend scheduling consultation with our vascular specialists at Texas Endovascular to discuss treatment options that can help protect your arterial health while preserving blood flow.To begin the conversation, reach out to our team and request a consultation at one of our seven locations in and around Houston and Dallas.