By Ed Edelson
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- New research has discovered that people with low blood levels of vitamin D were found to have a higher incidence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), potentially dangerous blockages in the leg arteries.

It costs about 5 percent more to treat people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) than those with coronary artery disease (CAD), a U.S. study finds.

Both PAD (blocked abdomen and leg arteries) and CAD (blocked heart arteries) are treated with the same methods, including medication, surgery and endovascular techniques such as balloon angiography and stenting. The type of treatment depends on the location and severity of the disease.

Treatment tends to be more successful in CAD patients, which may explain why PAD costs more to treat, the study authors said.