London: The appetite-regulating hormone ghrelin could be used to treat an advanced form of peripheral artery disease characterised by pain at rest, non-healing ulcers, and gangrene, say researchers, including one of Indian-origin.

The researchers focused on treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI), a severe obstruction of blood flow to the extremities that often requires major amputations and in half of all cases leads to death within five years. Its leading risk factors are diabetes, obesity and age.