How did my arteries become clogged?

One of the most common questions we get about peripheral arterial disease is, “Why do my arteries get clogged? Why do I have this?”

There are several risk factors for arterial disease. The five major risk factors include high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and smoking.

High cholesterol is often related to diet. However, it can also be inherited and run in families. Diabetes and high blood pressure are also significant risk factors, as well as living an inactive lifestyle.

Of all the risk factors, smoking is the most serious. It is one of the biggest contributors to arterial disease. Smoking is often the factor that causes the greatest problems for patients.