title: The risk of peripheral artery disease in older adults - seven-year results of the getABI study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in older adults and the contribution of traditional and novel risk factors to the incidence of PAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  344 general practitioners (GPs), trained by vascular specialists all over Germany, enrolled 6,880 unselected participants aged 65 years or older (getABI study). The onset of PAD was determined by a regression method in the course of repeated measurements of the ankle brachial index (ABI) over seven years. PAD onset was defined by the declining linear regression ABI line reaching 0.9 or by PAD symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cumulative PAD incidence over seven years was 12.9%, corresponding to an incidence rate of 20.3 per 1000 person years (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 18.8 to 21.7). Logistic regression analysis showed that traditional risk factors contributed significantly to the risk of PAD: current smoker status (odds ratio 2.65, 95%CI 2.08 to 3.37), diabetes (1.35, 95%CI 1.13 to 1.62), and low-density lipoprotein >130 mg/dl (1.26, 95%CI 1.07 to 1.48). Three novel risk factor candidates showed significant impact on PAD incidence: elevated sensitive C-reactive protein level (1.23, 95%CI 1.05 to 1.45), impaired estimated glomerular filtration rate (1.27, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.56), and elevated homocysteine level (1.19, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.41).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older adults in Germany have a PAD risk of 12.9% per seven years. Potentially modifiable traditional PAD risk factors yield high impact on PAD incidence. Novel risk factor candidates may contribute to the risk of PAD.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Burghaus
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Thiem
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Ulrike S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Trampisch
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trampisch
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klaassen-Mielke
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Trampisch
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Curt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diehm
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rudolf
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Peripheral artery disease; ankle brachial index; getABI study; incidence; risk factors