Peripheral artery disease in outpatients with a recent history of acute coronary syndrome or at high atherothrombotic risk

The frequency and implications of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in some risk groups are not entirely characterized in Latin America. We studied PAD prevalence, risk factors, and six-month outcomes in stable outpatients with a history of a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS), or at high coronary risk.

We recruited 830 outpatients in 43 Mexican sites (median age: 64.8 years; 57.8% men). Inclusion criteria were age >18 years, and ACS within 30 days, or age <55 years plus ≥2 major vascular risk factors, or age ≥55 years plus ≥1 vascular risk factors. Patients received standardized assessments at baseline and six-month follow-up for medical history, ankle-brachial index (ABI), and the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire (ECQ).

ABI <0.8 was found in 10.5%, <0.9 in 22.5%, >1.3 in 4.8%, and >1.4 in 3.6%, without differences according to sex or selection criteria. Positive ECQ was found in 7.6%. ABI <0.9 was directly associated with age, diabetes, ACS, and chronic kidney disease, but inversely associated with BMI >27. The six-month case-fatality and atherothrombotic events rates were 1.6% and 3.6%, respectively. In patients with ABI <0.9 and ABI <0.8, the six-month case-fatality rates were 2.5% (p = 0.27) and 5.4% (p = 0.03), respectively. In a Cox proportional-hazards model, baseline factors associated with death were age ≥65, ABI <0.8, and ACS.

Subclinical PAD is more common than symptomatic claudication in high-risk coronary outpatients. Low ABI is associated with reduced short-term survival in patients with recent ACS or at high coronary risk.