What is peripheral arterial disease?

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), commonly refers to formation of atherosclerotic plaque within the wall of the blood vessels outside of the heart and its surrounding arteries. The plaque formation can happen over a period of time most likely due to inflammations within the wall of the blood vessels. There are many risk factors attributing to formation of atherosclerotic plaques within the arteries. The three most common risk factors are, older age, smoking, and genetics.