Background:

The most common cause of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is atherosclerosis, and it follows distribution patterns according to the cardiovascular risk factor.

Objective:

To determine the atherosclerotic distribution patterns in the lower extremities in association to specific cardiovascular risk factors frequent in our unit.

Methods:

Pearson’s chi-squared test and Odds Ratio for prevalence (ORP) were used to determine the association of the variables. To determine whether Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is an independent risk factor for the distribution pattern, we performed multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for the studied cardiovascular risk factors.

Results:

Patients with DM are associated with tibial artery disease (P<0.001) adjusted ORP: (2.473 [1.190-5.137] n = 145). Aortoiliac disease is associated with smoking (ORP 3.685 [1.346-10.087]) and hypertension is les associated in this segment ORP: 0.143 (0.061-0.334). In the femoropopliteal segment, male sex is associated less ORP 0.466 (0.253-0.862), n: 73.

Conclusions:

Each patient’s cardiovascular risk factors help us by knowing the atherosclerotic distribution pattern with which it’s associated: diabetic patients are associated with tibial artery disease, females are associated with femoropopliteal disease, and smoking with aortoiliac disease in our studied population.