Prevalence and risk factors associated with peripheral arterial disease in the Hearts of Brazil Project.
BACKGROUND
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. In Brazil, data on PAD prevalence and risk factors are scarce.


OBJECTIVE
To assess prevalence and risk factors related to PAD in Brazilian urban centers with more than 100,000 inhabitants.


METHODS
National, multicenter, cross-sectional study of 1,170 individuals (>18 years), from 72 major Brazilian urban centers participating in the "Hearts of Brazil Project". PAD diagnosis was based on ankle-brachial index (ABI) <or=0.90. The statistical analysis used the corrected Chi-square (Pearson) test for complex samples and confidence intervals. P< 0.05 was considered statitically significant.


RESULTS
PAD prevalence was 10.5%. Intermittent claudication (IC) was present in only 9% of PAD patients. A significant association was found between PAD and the following factors: diabetes, total and abdominal obesity, stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD). There was a trend of higher PAD prevalence among individuals with hypertension, heart failure, chronic renal failure on dialysis, as well as those who had smoked over 20 pack-years. For females, presence of IHD was associated with a 4.9-fold greater risk of PAD. Among males, a 6.6-fold increased risk of PAD was found for diabetic in comparison to non-diabetic individuals.


CONCLUSIONS
PAD prevalence was markedly high, considering the low mean age of the studied population (44+/-14.7 yrs). IC was detected in a minority of PAD subjects, indicating a considerable number of asymptomatic individuals. Diabetes, obesity, stroke and IHD were the stronger predictors of PAD. The authors concluded that ABI measurement should be considered in the evaluation of moderate to high cardiovascular risk patients.
Makdisse
Marcia
M
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, SP, Brazil. mmakdisse@einstein.br
Pereira
Alexandre da Costa
Ada C
Brasil
David de Pádua
Dde P
Borges
Jairo Lins
JL
Machado-Coelho
George Luiz Lins
GL
Krieger
José Eduardo
JE
Nascimento Neto
Raimundo Marques
RM
Chagas
Antonio Carlos Palandri
AC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications; D055815:Young Adult