Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Peripheral Arterial Disease in the United States

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Abstract
Background— Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and is an important marker of subclinical coronary heart disease. However, estimates of PAD prevalence in the general US population have varied widely. Methods and Results— We analyzed data from 2174 participants aged 40 years and older from the 1999–2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. PAD was defined as an ankle-brachial index Conclusions— This study provides nationally representative prevalence estimates of PAD in the United States, revealing that PAD affects more than 5 million adults. PAD prevalence increases dramatically with age and disproportionately affects blacks. The vast majority of individuals with PAD have 1 or more cardiovascular disease risk factors that should be targeted for therapy.