title: Survival and event-free survival of patients with peripheral arterial disease undergoing prevention of cardiovascular disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are at very high risk for cardiovascular events. How do patients with PAD differ from age- and sex-matched controls in survival, major ischemic events and revascularization procedures when both groups were managed according to the European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention?
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with PAD (N.=742) and 713 age and sex-matched control subjects without PAD, both groups aged 65±9 years at inclusion, were managed for 5 years according to the European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention and evaluated yearly for occurrence of death, non-fatal major ischemic events and revascularization procedures (minor events).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the PAD group, the 5-year survival was 84.7% (CI 82.1-87.3%) vs. 93.3% (CI 91.5-95.2%) in the control group, P<0.001. In the PAD group the proportion of cardiovascular deaths did not differ significantly from non-cardiovascular deaths (6.9 vs. 8.4%, P=0.14), while in the control group cardiovascular deaths were less frequent (2.4 vs. 4.3%, P=0.05). The groups differed in 5-year major event-free survival: 76.7% (CI 73.7-79.8%) in PAD vs. 89.9% (CI 87.7 -92.2%) in controls, P<0.001, and in event-free survival: 56.2% (CI 52.7-59.9%) in PAD vs. 82.4% (CI 79.9-85.3%) in controls, P<0.001.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with PAD had a higher risk of all-cause death, major and minor non-fatal cardiovascular events compared to control subjects. In our group, cardiovascular events were not the leading cause of death in patients with PAD (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00761969.).
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia - ales.blinc@kclj.si.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia - ales.blinc@kclj.si.
authors.forename: Aleš
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blinc
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Matija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozak
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Mišo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Šabovič
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.|Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Mojca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Božič Mijovski
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.|Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Mojca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stegnar
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poredoš
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kravos
authors.affiliation: Krka, d. d., Novo mesto, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Breda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barbič-Žagar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Janez
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stare
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pohar Perme
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002423:Cause of Death; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017524:Slovenia; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors