Prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in subjects at moderate cardiovascular risk: Greek results of the PANDORA study.

Introduction: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a form of atherosclerotic disease that confers a cardiovascular (CV) risk equivalent to that of coronary heart disease. Despite its association with high CV risk, PAD is potentially underdiagnosed. The primary objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD through measurement of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) in subjects at moderate CV risk. Secondary objectives included the assessment of the prevalence of CV risk factors and lifestyle habits in the total population and in subjects with or without PAD, as well as the identification of factors associated with PAD.

Methods: PANDORA (NCT00689377) was a cross-sectional study conducted in 6 European countries. The study required a single visit in which males aged 45 or females 55 years, with at least 1 additional risk factor, but no overt CV disease or diabetes, underwent ABI measurement. Data on patient demographics, vital signs, CV risk factors, lipid levels and current treatment were recorded.

Results: Eight hundred forty subjects (789 evaluable) were enrolled by 120 office-based physicians across Greece. Age was 62.1 ± 9.1 years and body-mass index 29.6 ± 4.3 kg/m(2); 61.2% of the subjects were male, 47% were smokers, and 73.5% hypertensive. The prevalence of asymptomatic PAD, defined as ABI0.90, was 28.0% (95% CI: 24.88-31.14). In logistic regression analysis, hypertension (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.58-3.89, p<0.0001), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.55-3.32, p<0.0001), and divorced marital status (OR: 2.63, 95% CI: 1.14-6.07, p=0.023), were found to be strong determinants for PAD.

Conclusions: Asymptomatic PAD was highly prevalent in subjects with moderate CV risk treated by officebased physicians in Greece. ABI measurement is a significant tool for identifying subjects at higher risk who may require earlier and possibly more aggressive intervention.