epidemiology

• the most accurate studies of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) use an abnormal ankle-brachial pressure index (<0.95) to detect cases. Using this approach the frequency of PAD in the population aged 45-74 is 6.9%, however only 22% of these cases are symptomatic (Stoffers et al. 1996).
• Stoffers et al. found that the frequency of intermittent claudication increases with age (Fig.1).
• the ratio of men to women requiring surgical intervention is approximately 5:1
• the larger arteries are usually affected, as far as the popliteal trifurcation

More recently NICE stated that ".. about 20% of people aged over 60 years have some degree of peripheral arterial disease...incidence is also high in people who smoke, people with diabetes and people with coronary artery disease..in most people with intermittent claudication the symptoms remain stable, but approximately 20% will develop increasingly severe symptoms with the development of critical limb ischaemia.."

Reference:

• 1) NICE (March 2018). Lower limb peripheral arterial disease: diagnosis and management

Fig. 1

Stoffers et al. 1991