In Honor of the First P.A.D. Awareness Month, Rashad Joins P.A.D. Coalition
in Bringing Message of Hope to Patients and Policy Makers
NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One of America's
best-loved TV moms, The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad is taking on a new
leading role in raising awareness of Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.), a
condition that affects about 8 million Americans, and puts them at more
than double the risk of heart attack or stroke and more than four times the
risk of dying from heart disease including heart attack and stroke.
However, according to the P.A.D. Coalition, most people are unaware of
P.A.D. and the risks associated with it.
In recognition of the first National P.A.D. Awareness Month, Rashad is
sharing her family history, and together with the Bristol-Myers
Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership and in collaboration with the
P.A.D. Coalition, is helping to launch the P.A.D: Make the Connection: Know
Your Risks from Legs to Heart to Brain public action campaign in the hope
that other families will avoid the losses her family has endured. The
campaign will educate people about the risk factors for P.A.D., help them
identify if they or a loved one are at risk for P.A.D. and motivate those
at risk to speak with their doctors about getting tested. People can find
more information about P.A.D., including risk factors and symptoms, at
http://www.PADFacts.org.
Rashad's New Role Close to Her Heart
Eight of Rashad's family members, including her father and
grandparents, died of a heart attack or stroke. Each of those family
members had lived with some of the common risk factors for P.A.D., which
include: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and a
family history of heart attack or stroke.
"When P.A.D. was brought to my attention, I reflected on my family
members who had risk factors for P.A.D. and were never tested. I realized
that like my own family, millions of people are not aware of P.A.D. and the
risks associated with it," said Rashad. "However, we are fortunate that
great strides in medical research have revealed the correlation between
different diseases and how one can put you at risk for another. I want
people to benefit from these findings by learning what P.A.D. is and how it
can impact their health."
P.A.D. is a chronic condition in which a person has poor circulation in
the legs that can lead to serious cardiovascular events. In fact, P.A.D.
can be a warning sign that arteries, including those carrying blood to the
heart and brain, may be blocked, increasing a person's risk of heart attack
and stroke.
"The lack of P.A.D. awareness is profound and has had a detrimental
effect on the health of Americans," said Alan T. Hirsch, M.D., Chair of the
P.A.D. Coalition, Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the
University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and Director of the
Vascular Medicine Program at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. "P.A.D.
affects not only the people with the disease but their family members as
well. By raising awareness of P.A.D., we empower each individual and their
loved ones to talk to their doctor before the disease becomes an
emergency."
P.A.D. is a silent disease. Some patients experience pain or discomfort
in the buttocks, thighs or calves, symptoms typically seen when the disease
has progressed. However, patients often don't know they have P.A.D. because
they don't experience symptoms. About one in three patients with P.A.D.
actually feels pain or heaviness in the feet or legs that goes away with
rest. By that time, their arteries may be so clogged or hardened that they
are not getting enough oxygen to supply their leg muscles. Others ignore
their symptoms because they believe them to be a natural part of aging.
"Testing for P.A.D. is simple and painless and is performed right in
the doctor's office. Once a patient is diagnosed with P.A.D., their risk of
heart attack and stroke can be reduced through lifestyle changes and
treatments," said Emile R. Mohler, M.D., director of vascular medicine at
the University of Pennsylvania Health System. "Increased diagnosis and
treatment could significantly reduce the number of these risks."
Alarmingly, despite these risks, P.A.D. is often under-diagnosed and
under-treated.
Connecting P.A.D. from Legs to Heart to Brain
The P.A.D: Make the Connection public action campaign will bring
Rashad's message to people from coast to coast through a year-long series
of events. The first will target policy makers as she joins the P.A.D.
Coalition at a Congressional Briefing on Tuesday, September 18, 2007. With
the P.A.D. Coalition, Rashad will speak to Congressional leaders about the
need for increased screening so patients who are diagnosed can discuss
treatment options and lifestyle changes to reduce the risks associated with
the disease with their doctors.
"It's not okay to take a wait-and-see approach to your health," said
Rashad, who recently had her first test for P.A.D. "If you or a loved one
is at risk for P.A.D., I urge you to take action and talk to your doctor."
For nearly a decade, Rashad has been a dedicated educational health
advocate working to increase awareness of cardiovascular diseases to
improve patients' quality of life. Rashad is urging people to visit
http://www.PADFacts.org for more information on P.A.D. diagnosis, disease
management and treatments.
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis is the world's third largest pharmaceutical company,
ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D organization,
sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic
areas: cardiovascular, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central
nervous system, internal medicine, and vaccines. Sanofi-aventis U.S. is
listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and New York (NYSE: SNY).
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related health care
company whose mission is to extend and enhance human life. Visit Bristol-
Myers Squibb at http://www.bms.com/.
About the P.A.D. Coalition
The Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) Coalition is an alliance of
leading health organizations, vascular health professional societies, and
government agencies united to raise public and health professional
awareness about lower extremity P.A.D. Established in 2004, the P.A.D.
Coalition is coordinated by the Vascular Disease Foundation (http://www.vdf.org),
a national, not- for-profit section 501(c)(3) organization. The P.A.D.
Coalition seeks to improve the prevention, early detection, treatment, and
rehabilitation of people with, or at risk for, P.A.D. For more information,
visit http://www.padcoalition.org.
SOURCE Bristol-Myers Squibb; sanofi-aventis
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Related links:
http://www.bms.com
http://www.PADFacts.org http://www.padcoalition.org
CONTACT:
Jeff MacDonald of Bristol-Myers Squibb,
+1-212-546-4824, jeffrey.macdonald@bms.com; or Amy Ba of
sanofi-aventis, +1-908-981-6563, amy.ba@sanofi-aventis.com
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