AVOIDING VASCULAR DISEASE
Vascular disease—the disease responsible for heart attacks, a majority of strokes and serious leg
complications, such as amputation—is any condition that affects your circulatory system. This includes:
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Cardiovascular Disease—when arteries supplying the heart are affected,
Peripheral Artery Disease—or PAD, which most commonly involves arteries in the legs,
Carotid Artery Disease—a narrowing of the arteries in your neck, which supply blood to the
brain,
Abdominal aortic aneurysms—or AAAs, which occur when a section of artery in the abdomen
bulges out due to weakening of the artery wall, and
Atherosclerosis—the buildup of the fatty substance called plaque in the arteries.
“Atherosclerosis affects arteries in every organ of the body,” says Jacek Paszkowiak, MD, a vascular
surgeon at Augusta Health.
Risk factors for vascular disease that you can’t control are increasing age, a family history of vascular
disease and being male. Other factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and being a
smoker, can be controlled by taking preventive steps: eating healthfully, exercising, managing blood
sugar levels, quitting smoking and, in some cases, taking prescribed medication.
Screenings can help diagnose Vascular Disease. “Sometimes you have no symptoms of vascular disease
until you have a catastrophic event, and that’s where screenings are beneficial,” says Charles Goff, MD,
a vascular surgeon at Augusta Health.
According to Mark Masonheimer, BS, RN, administrative director for cardiovascular services at Augusta
Health, the hospital has recently started a vascular screening program to help spot possible vascular
disease. These three screenings include stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and peripheral artery
disease (PAD). The need to be tested depends on individual risk factors, so discussing the tests with a
personal physician is important. “All testing is noninvasive—there are no needles or dyes,” says
MaryAnn Becksted, BS, RVT, lead vascular ultrasound technician at Augusta Health.
If testing shows abnormal results, you’ll be referred to your physician or a specialist. “The good news is
that if any problems are found in the screenings, they can be treated and managed right here at Augusta
Health,” Dr. Goff says.
To learn more about vascular disease and the diagnostic procedures and treatments available at
Augusta Health, call the Heart and Vascular Center at 540.332.4127 or 540.932.4127.To learn more
about vascular disease and the