title: Can peripheral arterial disease be early screened for in a podiatric setting? A preliminary study in a cohort of asymptomatic adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a strong marker of cardiovascular disease but remains an under-diagnosed problem. Moreover, PAD frequently leads to foot problems requiring particular care and surveillance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed PAD in a cohort of asymptomatic subjects referred to a podiatric clinic and (2) to evaluate whether a four-item form assessing medical history for the presence of cardiovascular risk factors could identify subjects at high risk for asymptomatic PAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 717 consecutive subjects (121 males, age 50.9±13.9 y) referring to a podiatric clinic who were asymptomatic for PAD and free of cardiovascular disease. The ankle brachial index (ABI) was measured in all subjects. Each subject also completed a self-administered form to identify cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the entire cohort, the prevalence of PAD was 8.3% in males and 1.2% in females. Three subgroups were identified according to the number of risk factors reported (no risk factors, one risk factor, and two or more risk factors), and the prevalence of PAD differed between each subgroup (0.2%, 3.2%, and 18.9%, respectively; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In an unselected cohort of subjects referring to a podiatric clinic, who were asymptomatic for PAD and free from cardiovascular diseases, a remarkable prevalence of PAD was found among subjects reporting a minimum of two cardiovascular risk factors. In a podiatric setting, screening with a self-administered form for the presence of cardiovascular risk factors might lead to an early diagnosis of PAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Aging and Nephrologic Disease, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. sergio.daddato@unibo.it   
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daddato
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tartagni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dormi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ballarini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macciantelli
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Malagoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Manfredini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manfredini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borghi
mesh_terms: D055109:Ankle Brachial Index / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011032:Podiatry / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report