Prevalence of lower extremity arterial disease among elderly people in the community.

To estimate the prevalence of lower extremity arterial disease, all patients aged over 65 years registered with a rural general practice near Cambridge were invited to attend for examination of the circulation to the lower extremities; 265 subjects (80%) accepted. Three methods were used to investigate the presence of lower extremity arterial disease - enquiring about symptoms of intermittent claudication; clinical examination (and particularly the detection of arterial bruits); and pressure index calculations from measurements of the ankle and brachial systolic blood pressure using a Doppler ultrasound probe. When examining the legs, the presence of a bruit was taken as stronger evidence of disease than inability to palpate the pulses which may be difficult or impossible to detect for a number of reasons. Forty seven of the 264 patients examined (18%) showed evidence of lower extremity arterial disease. Seven patients showed unequivocal evidence of lower extremity arterial disease as demonstrated by all three criteria, 12 by two criteria and 28 patients on one criterion alone. While the pressure index followed a normal distribution curve, there was a tendency for it to decline with age. Other risk factors which showed a correlation with evidence of disease including current, but not previous, cigarette smoking, and a history of stroke. The significance of the findings is discussed in the context of some degree of arterial pathology in many British subjects in this age group.