A serious complication of the disease is limb loss, and approximately 150,000 leg amputations are performed in the U.S. as a result every year, according to the American Heart Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But doctors can\u2019t yet predict which of the approximately 10 million to 12 million people in America <\/a>who have peripheral artery disease will need an amputation.\u00a0<\/p>\n New research published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences <\/a>has found, however, that patients most susceptible to limb amputations may share similar genomic traits.\u00a0<\/p>\n While more testing and verification need to be done to validate their findings, the Northeastern researchers\u2019 insights could help physicians develop tests to determine the likelihood of a patient losing a limb if diagnosed with peripheral artery disease, according to Saeed Amal, a Northeastern University professor of bioengineering based in the Roux Institute and one of the co-authors of the paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is powerful because you won\u2019t have to wait for symptoms,\u201d Amal said, noting that oftentimes when peripheral artery disease patients start complaining about pains in their arms and legs, it\u2019s too late to save their limbs. \u201cIt\u00a0 will allow us to give treatment before the patients start suffering and could basically prevent amputation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Research on peripheral artery disease so far has shown that risk factors such as smoking and poor diet can lead to a peripheral artery disease diagnosis, but scientists are still working to understand what role genetics play in the onset and progression of the disease, explained Amal.\u00a0<\/p>\n To better understand those factors, Amal and his co-researchers performed what is known as a genome-wide association study, or GWAS<\/a>. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the method involves surveying medical databases of patients\u2019 DNA and looking for specific genomic variants that only those with a specific disease might be carrying and comparing them to those without the disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/031925_MM_Innovator_of_the_Year_Awards_018.jpg\")
Saeed Amal, a research professor of bioengineering at the Roux Institute, said this research, could help doctors to develop more \u201cpersonalized interventions\u201d for patients. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n