CVD

Vascular Leg Disorders in Adults with Substance Abuse Issues

Vascular leg disorders, namely chronic venous disorders (CVD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), are frequent yet generally unacknowledged complications of injection drug use (IDU) (Pieper, Templin, Kirsner, & Birk, 2010). One study provides a quantitative analysis of the relationship between PAD and exercise habits in adults that engage in IDU. In the sample that was used, overall activity was relatively low and most participants walked less than half a mile a day (Pieper, Templin, Kirsner, & Birk, 2010). There is a significant inverse between PAD and CVD and being active and engaging in some form of walking or exercise. This study is quantitate in nature and provides that statistical findings of the experiment with a large sample.

By contrast, other articles are more informative in nature. One informative article gives an overview of a particular drug that can be used to treat CVD and PAD. Parnaparin (Fluxum™) is a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) that is effective and generally well tolerated in the prevention of venous thrombosis, and in the treatment of chronic venous disease and venous and arterial thrombosis (McKeage & Keating, 2008). The article emphasizes those findings of other studies that suggest Long-term treatment with this drug on a once daily regimen significantly improved pain-free walking time/distance compared with baseline in several studies of patients with peripheral arterial obstructive disease. While this article does not produce any original research material, it does serve an important role for education purposes and is short enough so that it can be easily read by practitioners who wish to stay abreast of developments in the field.

Works Cited

McKeage, K., & Keating, G. (2008). Parnaparin. Adis Drug Evaluation, 106-122.

Pieper, B., Templin, T., Kirsner, R., & Birk, T. (2010). The Impact of Vascular Leg Disorders on Physical Activity in Methadone-Maintained Adults. Research in Nursing & Health, 426-440.