Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is narrowing of one or more blood vessels (arteries). It mainly affects arteries that take blood to your legs. (Arteries to the arms are rarely affected and are not dealt with further in this leaflet.) The narrowing of blood vessels (arteries) is caused by atheroma. The main symptom is pain in one or both legs when you walk.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/heart-health/peripheral-arterial-disease-leaflet