Peripheral arterial disease.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a manifestation of atherosclerotic disease in the arteries to the legs. The clinical presentation of PAD includes a spectrum that spans individuals with asymptomatic disease, those who experience intermittent claudication (IC), and those with more severe symptoms of critical limb ischemia. PAD is a common condition that affects a large proportion of the adult population worldwide. The estimated prevalence of claudication ranges from 0.4–14.4%. The prevalence of asymptomatic disease diagnosed with noninvasive tests is much higher and ranges between 0.9% and 22% with the ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic ranging between 1:0.9 and 1:6. Risk factors for atherosclerosis such as age, cigarette smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension increase the likelihood of developing lower extremity PAD. The majority of patients with IC experience stabilization of their symptoms within 5 years and only 10–15% ever develop critical limb ischemia. Both claudicants and those with asymptomatic disease are at increased risk of systemic cardiovascular events.