Cilostazol: More than just PAD treatment

"Traitor" diseases are characterized as illnesses affecting a lot of people without them being aware that they have it. One example of this is Peripheral Arterial Disease or PAD.

PAD manifests itself through persistent pain felt in thigh and calf muscles, which significantly decreases one’s walking ability. Consequently, PAD has also been shown to have major effects on cardiovascular health.

Without proper treatment, PAD not only increases the risk of amputation of lower extremities, it also raises one’s risk of a heart attack and stroke.

A patient with PAD has about five times the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years compared to someone who does not have the disease. PAD is also known to be prevalent among people with diabetes.

Known as the drug of choice to treat the symptoms of PAD, Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s brand of cilostazol has been shown to reduce pain associated with feeling of numbness and fatigue in the legs, thus allowing patients to increase walking distance.

Those who have taken cilostazol experienced an improvement in maximal walking distance by 44 to 50 percent. Moreover, cilostazol has also been shown to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke brought about by this illness.

The Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, which is the official publication of the National Stroke Association, published a report regarding a double-blind investigation conducted with the help of the Japanese Stroke Society.

The study examined the effectiveness of cilostazol and was conducted for over four years in Japan. Results showed that long-term administration of cilostazol significantly prevented the recurrence of stroke with a relative risk reduction of 41.7 percent.

Otsuka’s commitment to increase the public knowledge of PAD paved the way for a special campaign called Improve Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness Club (i-PAD), where patients could learn more about PAD and which could also help doctors on the proper diagnosis of the disease.

One of the first undertakings of i-PAD is the Bantay Paa project which seeks to determine the prevalence of PAD among those with diabetes through ABI (ankle brachial index) screening and monofilament testing.

For more inquiries on PAD and the PAD Awareness Club, call the i-PAD Connect hotline at 811-i-PAD for Metro Manila (811-4-723) or 1-800-1888-i-PAD for provincial areas (1-800-1888-4-723).