Vascular disease, or diseases of the blood vessels, can lead to difficulty walking, heart attacks, strokes and gangrene, explains Upstate vascular surgeon Michael Costanza, MD. Changes in lifestyle habits often help: Don’t smoke, get reasonable exercise, follow a healthy diet, and control any problems with diabetes, cholesterol or blood pressure. Costanza also addressed how vascular disease is diagnosed, who is likely to get it and the importance of screening.