The most common symptom of Peripheral arterial disease is claudication. The fat and cholesterol build up on the artery walls cause a lack of blood flow, causing a condition referred to as ischemia. Ischemia is a condition that results when there is a greater demand for oxygen than the supply.

Claudication is a condition that causes cramping in the legs and buttocks. As mentioned, the pain and clamping flares up when you start to walk and subsides when you rest. Intermittent claudication affects about 50 percent of individuals suffering from peripheral artery disease. Some of the other common symptoms include loss of hair around the ankles, numbness or coldness in your feet.

Pain and cramping while walking may lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, meaning that the individual will burn few calories and add weight. An increase in weight also increases cholesterol, blood pressure, and other heart disease risk factors. The claudication severity often varies from mild discomfort to debilitating pain, making it hard for you to walk or perform other types of physical activities. Other common symptoms of the peripheral arterial disease include;

• In extreme cases, an open wound or ulcer occurs on your toes or feet. These extreme cases lead to non-healing ulcers. The ulcer can progress to gangrene, making it hard for you to walk. In such a scenario, immediate medical attention is necessary.
• Weakness or numbness in your legs
• Coldness in your lower feet, especially when you find one foot is colder than the other one.
• Experiencing pain in your feet or toes while you are resting
• Sores on the legs, feet, and toes that do not heal
• Slower toenails growth
  Change in the color of your feet
• Erectile dysfunction in men can be treated by prostate arterial embolization (PAE), which also treats benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
• Weak pulse in your feet or legs
• Developing shiny skin on your legs
• Having pain in your arms, especially when writing, knitting, or performing manual tasks

As the peripheral disease progresses, you may start to experience pain even when you are lying down. In extreme cases, the pain becomes intense enough to distract your sleep. Resting your legs by hanging them at your bed edge or walking around the room helps stimulate blood flow, relieving the pain temporarily

These are ulcers that are brought about by the restriction of blood flow to certain regions of the body due to the persistent and prolonged application of pressure upon them. It is mostly encountered among patients with full or partial paralysis and those who are bedridden for extended periods.

These are also highly prevalent chronic wounds, and are on the increase among patients owing to the ever-increasing cases of diabetes among the population. In fact, the prevalence of chronic wounds among diabetics makes this demographic 15% more likely to have to undergo limb amputation as a complication of the condition.

The high amputation rate among diabetics is attributable, in part, to the neuropathic effects of the ailment. Neuropathy leads to a lack of pain perception in the affected individual, meaning that they may be entirely unaware of minor wounds on their feet and legs in good time, allowing for their infection or repeat injury. It is also made more likely by the immunosuppressive effects of the condition, which makes the patient more vulnerable to infection.