The following is a summary of “Global disease burden and its attributable risk factors of peripheral arterial disease,” published in the November 2023 issue of Cardiology by You et al. 

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a prevalent form of atherosclerotic cardiovascular condition, necessitating a thorough evaluation of its impact and associated risk factors. The detailed analysis of researchers draws from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 database, enabling the computation of PAD incidence, prevalence, mortality rates, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and its attributable risk factors and estimated annual percentage change.

The burden of PAD amplifies notably with advancing age, displaying distinct variations between males and females. Despite an increase in absolute numbers from 1990 to 2019, the global age-standardized death rate (ASDR) and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (ASDALYR) for PAD exhibit a mild downward trend over this period, showing a negative correlation with the sociodemographic index (SDI).

Smoking and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) emerge as primary attributable risk factors for males (ASDR: 33.4%; ASDALYR: 43.4%) and females (ASDR: 25.3%; ASDALYR: 27.6%), respectively. Elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) has ascended as the second major risk factor for both ASDR (males: 28.5%; females: 25.2%) and ASDALYR (males: 29.3%; females: 26.3%), with a rising trend. Projections indicate that regions with low to middle SDI are anticipated to experience the most significant rise in PAD burden due to elevated FPG.

Smoking contributes to a higher disease burden in males before 85–90 years of age and in females before 65–70 years, while elevated FPG and SBP become more prominent factors thereafter. The patterns of PAD-related burden and its associated risk factors display heterogeneity across ages, genders, and SDI regions, necessitating tailored strategies to alleviate this burden effectively.

Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-023-47028-5