Peripheral Artery Disease Prevalence

About PAD
PAD Prevalence
PAD Risk Factors
PAD Symptoms

Typical Symptoms of PAD

  • Claudication (pain while walking)
  • Resting leg discomfort
  • Ulcerations
  • Gangrene
  • Extremity trauma
  • Lower extremity embolism or thrombosis

PAD Risk Factors

It’s important to note that over 50% of patients with PAD do not present with the typical symptoms listed above. The presence of risk factors strongly supports wider screening for at-risk populations.

Runner and leg pain
An estimated 200 million worldwide, and 20 million in the US, have peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD has a 5-year mortality rate of 30%. PAD is estimated to cost the US healthcare system $319 billion annually. The average cost to treat a medicare beneficiary was $11,173 in 2015, while it was over $72,000 for someone with PAD.
PAD Risk Factors and Prevalence

American College of Cardiology Guidelines

  • Age > 65, or
  • Age > 50 w/smoking, hyptertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, or PAD family history
  • Diminished or absent lower extremity pulses and/or arterial bruit
  • Non-healing lower- extremity wounds
  • Known other atherosclerotic disease1

PAD and Heart Disease

Studies have shown that if a patient has coronary artery disease (CAD), there is a 20% chance they have PAD. More importantly, if they have PAD, there is an 80% chance they have CAD.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Medical Illustration Of Atherosclerosis Of The Lower Extremities

More PAD Prevalence Resources

PAD Prevalence Overview (.pdf)
1 – Writing Committee Members et al. “2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.” Circulation 135.12 (2017): e686–e725. PMC. Web. 9 Aug. 2018. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000470