Thousands of people lose limbs unnecessarily every year because doctors fail to detect the early signs of the disease, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
A landmark report investigating the causes behind amputations in the UK concluded that quicker diagnosis could save around four in five patients from this life-changing surgery.
Of the 3,000 amputations carried out in England and Wales each year, the vast majority are due to peripheral artery disease, when blood vessels in the limbs become narrowed or blocked so that blood cannot reach them. feet or hands.
However, according to Professor Athanasios Saratzis, an expert in vascular diseases at the University of Leicester, who led the report, GPs are rarely aware of the early symptoms of the disease.
On average, a GP examines patients with peripheral artery disease 19 times before referring them to a hospital specialist for further investigations. By the time many are diagnosed, it is too late to save their damaged limbs.
One patient who has suffered a slow diagnosis is Bryan Hoggard, 80, from Leicester.
The former railway worker was diagnosed with arthritis 20 years ago when he began to feel agonizing pain in his right foot. It was only five years later, when she visited a podiatrist (a foot specialist), that concerns arose. “He put his hand on my foot and I jumped in pain,” Mr Hoggard says. “He said he had neuropathy.”
Neuropathy is pain caused when nerves in the extremities are damaged and is often a sign of peripheral arterial disease.
A scan revealed that two arteries in his leg were completely blocked. He was sent for surgery to open them, but during the procedure he suffered a heart attack.
Former surgeon Allan Gayner, with two of his grandchildren, lost his right leg after ignoring the pain when walking
Bryan Haggard, 80, lost his right leg below the knee after developing undiagnosed foot ulcers.
Bryan had surgery again a few years later, but by then it was too late to repair it.
In September 2022, Mr. Hoggard had his right leg removed mid-knee. “I’m stuck in a wheelchair,” he says. “It’s all very frustrating because this could have been caught years ago and prevented.” But no one looked to see what was happening.
About a fifth of people over 60 in the UK have some form of peripheral artery disease. But it is more common – and dangerous – in people with diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Smokers are also much more likely to develop it.
Retired surgeon Allan Gayner, 80, from Tyne and Wear, also lost a limb after failing to detect the symptoms of peripheral artery disease.
After working in the health service for more than three decades, he suffered a heart attack in 2012. During his recovery he noticed pain in his right leg when walking. “I thought my circulation was a little slow after the heart attack,” says the father of four. ‘It was only several years later, when ulcers appeared on my heel, that I went to the GP.
“I was sent for surgery to open my arteries and it was discovered I had an aneurysm in my leg.”
This occurs when a bulge forms in the vessel behind the knee, limiting blood flow to the region.
“In the end they told me they would have to amputate my leg,” Gayner adds. ‘I should have gone straight to the GP and asked to be referred to a specialist. An opportunity to save my leg was missed.’
And experts are now calling on the NHS to make sure all GPs know the early signs of these serious illnesses.
“We do not detect these diseases in time, and even when we offer treatment, it is not always the right option,” says Professor Saratzis. “There are steps we can take much sooner to mitigate the risk.”
The best way to combat arterial problems is to treat underlying conditions; This may mean giving them diabetes medication, blood pressure pills, or dietary advice to help them lose weight.
However, according to the new report, carried out in collaboration with health company Abbott, the NHS repeatedly misses the first signs of peripheral artery disease, while Professor Saratzis says patients do not know what signs to look out for, which which means you don’t visit a doctor. Symptoms usually include pain or loss of sensation in the legs, constant pain at night, and small wounds on the skin.
Research also shows that many GPs do not recognize the condition when it is presented to them.
“GPs are very busy and it is necessary to undress the patient, examine the foot and take the pulse to detect a problem,” says Professor Saratzis.
When the disease progresses, the procedure to reopen the blockages, known as revascularization, is required. However, Professor Saratzis adds: “Waiting times to treat these arterial blockages are long and there are not enough places for everyone who needs it.”