[Update PAVK: Epidemiology, comorbidity and prognosis of peripheral arterial obstructive disease].

The number of patients suffering from PAD is increasing worlwide and the rate of hospitalized patients in Germany is continously increasing. The diagnosis can be made reliably by ankle- and toe-pressure measurements with calculating the ABI and TBI. Clinical relevant comorbidities are CAD, heart insuffiency , chronic renal failure and diabetes. The prognosis of asymptomatic and symptomatic patients is characterized by an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.