Vascular Disease Treatment in West Orange, NJ

What is Vascular Disease?

Vascular disease includes any condition that affects your circulatory system, or system of blood vessels. Some vascular diseases affect your arteries, while others occur in your veins.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of vascular disease, don’t wait to see a specialist. For patients in North and Central Jersey, the team at New Jersey Cardiology Associates is here to help. Our cardiologists are board-certified and have extensive experience diagnosing and treating a wide variety of vascular diseases. Contact us today to schedule an appointment in Belleville, West Orange, Toms River, or Clifton, NJ.

How Does the Vascular System Work?

Blood vessels are elastic-like tubes that carry blood to every part of your body.

Blood vessels include:

• Arteries that carry blood away from your heart.
• Veins that return blood back to your heart.
• Capillaries, deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and take away their waste, linking your small veins and arteries

What are the Types of Vascular Disease?

There are many types of vascular disease. We help diagnose and treat several types with expert care.

Some more common vascular diseases include:

• Peripheral artery disease – The blood vessels outside of your heart may develop plaque and overtime this narrows the artery, causing less blood flow.
• Carotid artery issues – This affects the two main arteries in your neck and can tear, block, or narrow the supply to your brain. There may also be growths or bulges that cause issues around the artery or rupturing.
• Aortic aneurysm – An abnormal bulge in a blood vessel wall most commonly in the main blood vessel leaving the heart (aorta).
• Venous disease – Your veins are flexible, hollow tubes with flaps inside called valves. Sometimes you can have issues with blood flow, valve damage, and holding and regulating blood. This can cause pooling of blood or swelling in your veins.
• Blood clots – A clot can sometimes form and become a solid, jelly-like mass. If you get blood clots in your arteries it can increase the risk for stroke, heart attack, severe leg pain, difficulty walking or even the loss of a limb.
• Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) – If you have a rare abnormal cell growth on the walls of medium or large arteries this can cause issues including aneurysms and dissection.

What if I Suspect I Have Vascular Disease?

If you suspect you may have a vascular disease, we will work with you to get a thorough diagnosis. Your cardiologist will look inside your blood vessels through various imaging methods. This may include sound waves (ultrasound) or special x-rays (angiography).

You may be having symptoms such as:

• Swelling
• Cramping
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Discoloration
• Throbbing
• Pain
• Fever

There are several factors that may be at play for vascular disease. It is important to talk to our cardiologists, because these symptoms can be serious and lead to health emergencies.

What are Treatment Options for Vascular Disease?

If you have been diagnosed with a vascular disease, One of our Cardiologists may suggest the following treatment options.

Lifestyle changes

• Eat healthier foods
• Exercise regularly
• Physical therapy
• Compression sleeves or stockings
• Manage your diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure
• Move around once an hour if you have to sit or stand for hours
• Stay at a healthy weight
• Reduce your stress level
• Avoid tobacco products
• Medication
• Pain medicine
• Clot-busting drugs
• Steroids
• Medicine  to open blood vessels (vasodilators)
• Blood thinners
• Cholesterol-lowering medicine
• Blood clot medicines (antiplatelets, anticoagulants)
• High blood pressure medicine (antihypertensive)

Surgical procedures

• Laser therapy
• Removal of tumors or growths
• Stenting to keep the artery open
• Clot removal
• Insertion of a graft
• Vein surgery
• Plaque removal (carotid endarterectomy)
• and more

When Should I See an Expert?

Vascular disease can impact your quality of life on a daily basis. These issues can be debilitating and frustrating. Give us a call so we can help establish a treatment plan that is right for you.

We know vascular disease can be a life-long disease, and we will work with you to get you back on track. We are trained in the latest advancements for both medication and advanced surgical techniques.