Metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Twenty-eight consecutive patients of an average age of 63 years with intermittent claudication secondary to underlying peripheral arterial disease were studied for evidence of metabolic or other cardiovascular abnormalities and the results obtained were compared with those of 28 matched control subjects free of vascular disease. Patients with peripheral arterial disease had significantly higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, a greater incidence of ECG abnormalities, lipoprotein abnormalities, elevated serum triglycerides, and serum copper. The incidence of smoking and abnormal glucose tolerance, while higher in peripheral arterial disease patients, was not statistically significant. Hematocrit and serum cholesterol levels were nearly indentical in both groups of patients. Twenty-six of the 28 patiens with peripheral arterial disease had either a cardiovascular or a metabolic abnormality, indicating the high incidence of multisystem illness in this disorder. The epidemiologic data in peripheral arterial disease are similar to those in coronary artery disease but some measurements contrast sharply, such as the apparent normal level of serum cholesterol in patients with peripheral arterial diseases.