Age and homocystein were risk factor for peripheral arterial disease in elderly with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aim: to find out the magnitude of risk of some traditional and non-traditional risk factors for PAD event in the elderly with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.

Methods: a case-control study involved 40 subjects of each arms (case and control group) at Geriatric Outpatient Clinic Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia was conducted.

Results: the study showed that compared to patients without PAD, patients with PAD had higher age (70.7 vs. 65.0 years; p<0.001), lower waist circumference (82.7 vs. 91.3 cm; p=0.019), lower triglyceride levels (127.8 vs. 173.9 mg/dl; p=0.016), and higher homocystein levels (13.4 vs. 11.5 mmol/L, p=0.023); while other variables revealed no any significantly difference between two groups. Although no any significant difference, subjects with PAD tend to do exercise less prevalent, consumed anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-thrombotic more frequent compared to subjects without PAD. High age (70-80 years) has risk 7.4 time than those lower age (60-69 years), and high homocystein level (> or =11 mmol/L) has risk 2.5 time than those with lower level to develop PAD. By multivariate analysis (logistic regression), only age has a role in PAD event, while homocystein tend to be risk factor for PAD event.

Conclusions: some traditional risk factors and non-traditional risk factors unproved as risk factors for PAD event in the elderly with type 2 diabetes. Older age and homocystein level were risk factors for PAD event in the elderly with type 2 diabetes subjects.