Epidemiology of Peripheral Artery Disease in CKD Patients

Abstract

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood by the medical community. Yet, PAD is a strong predictor of coronary artery disease and a risk factor for mortality in the general population. This is of particular interest to nephrologists because the prevalence of PAD appears to be much higher among patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) than in the general population. This is explained by the association between traditional and uremia-related risk factors. In fact, kidney disease is an independent risk factor for the development of PAD, with risk increasing with worsening kidney function. The current epidemiology in ESRD patients is here reviewed.