Abstract P243: Retinal Microvascular Findings and Future Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Introduction: Lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is often considered as a subtype of macrovascular disease. For the development of critical limb ischemia (CLI), a severe form of PAD, microvascular disease is indicated to play a crucial role by impairing collateral formation and wound healing. However, the contribution of microvascular disease to the development of PAD has not been systematically evaluated in a large cohort study. Hypothesis: Microvascular disease, as represented by retinal findings, will be associated with future PAD risk, and its association will be stronger for CLI. Methods: Retinal photographs were taken at the 3rd examination (1993-1995) of the ARIC Study. We investigated 9390 participants free of clinical history of PAD and quantified the associations of each retinal finding with PAD risk using Cox models. PAD was defined as hospitalizations with PAD diagnosis (ICD-9: 440.2x, 440.3, 440.4) or leg revascularization (38.18, 39.25, 39.29, 39.50). Of PAD cases, those with ul...