LEWISTON – Residents are encouraged to participate in a free screening program that has been scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon and 12:45 to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12, in the Fleet Community Room in the Corrine Croteau Lepage Women’s Health Pavilion.

Many people 50 and older who have pain in their legs while walking chalk it up to advancing age, when in fact they may have Peripheral Vascular Disease, a potentially life-threatening yet treatable condition in which leg arteries become clogged, much like arteries from the heart.

Patients found to be at moderate to high risk for PVD are referred to their primary care physician for further evaluation.

“The screening takes only 10 minutes, a small price to pay to detect a treatable disease that can severely affect quality of life,” said Dr. Joseph Ullman, chief of radiology at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “If PVD isn’t caught early and checked, it can lead to such serious clogging in the leg arteries that it causes a ‘leg attack,’ just as clogged coronary arteries can cause heart attack.”

During the screening, people are asked to fill out a lifestyle questionnaire to help determine their risk for PVD. The 10-minute exam includes an “ABI test” that compares the person’s arm and ankle blood pressure to determine his or her risk for PVD. Screenings are free and conducted by appointment; however, space is limited.

For more information or to schedule a free PVD screening, call St. Mary’s Radiology Department at 777-4053.