Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is caused by narrowing of arteries that are not connected to the heart or the brain due to atherosclerosis.
Arteries in the leg are commonly affected by PVD and you may not know that you have the condition. Pain may be felt in the leg due to a lack of oxygen reaching the muscle cells.
Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot A thickened mass of blood formed by platelets. that forms in a deep vein, commonly in the leg. The blood clot can break off to form an embolusA mass that moves through blood vessels until it reaches a vessel that is too small to pass through and could cause a pulmonary embolism.