At Loughborough University in England, engineers are developing a small handheld optical body scanner capable of detecting early signs of heart disease and stroke. The device should be commercially available within a year and a half. The technology used is based on photoplethysmography,in which diffuse radiation from light-emitting diodes is scattered from tissue and picked up by photosensors. Earlier diagnosis of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects over 90 million people globally, would improve the outcome for many patients, most of whom can be treated through lifestyle change, medications, or both. The current methods of assessment are costly and the ABPI, which is the standard screening technology, is apparently unreliable for diabetics, who constitute one of the most important patient groups. Forty percent of diabetics admissions to hospitals are for disorders of the feet, which can be caused by blockages that restrict blood circulation, particularly in arteries leading to the kidneys, stomach, arms, legs, and feet. The scientists in England say the new PADD system will be the first completely automated, operator-independent, noninvasive technology for assessment of blood supply to the lower leg and foot. The system testers the extent to which the cardiovascular system responds to postural demand, and, if there is a cardiovascular weakness, PADD will pinpoint that weakness before it becomes acute enough to cause clinical symptoms.