Peripheral Artery Disease

Excerpt

The term peripheral artery disease (PAD) classically encompasses the various diseases that affect noncardiac, nonintracranial arteries. The most common cause of PAD is atherosclerosis; less common causes include inflammatory disorders of the arterial wall (vasculitis) and noninflammatory arteriopathies, such as fibromuscular dysplasia (Kullo and Rooke 2016). Lower extremity PAD is a leading cause of atherosclerotic vascular morbidity and is only surpassed by coronary artery disease and stroke (Caro and others 2005; Criqui and others 1992; Dormandy and Rutherford 2000).

The global importance of PAD is rising because the number of people living with PAD has increased in the past decade; causes of the increase include aging populations and increased exposure to risk factors, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Fowkes and others 2013). Consequently, assessing the need for coordinated and cost-effective responses to the burden of PAD is important.

This chapter discusses the global epidemiology of PAD based on recent evidence that provides updated comparisons of age- and gender-specific prevalence between high-income countries (HICs) and LMICs, risk factors for PAD in HICs and LMICs, and robust estimates of PAD deaths and the number of people living with PAD regionally and globally. The chapter provides insights into the implications of current PAD epidemiology for potential cost-effective approaches to prevention and treatment in LMICs.