Black women are more likely to develop peripheral artery disease. Cases of PAD tend to start in younger women, and in Black women, it progresses faster than women of other races. Mercy Medical Center physician assistant Kyra Daigle told 11 News that PAD happens when the vessels and arteries in the legs narrow over time due to an accumulation of cholesterol that turns into plaque. Some risk factors include smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, poorly controlled diabetes and social stressors.