Peripheral Artery Disease often Underdiagnosed and Undertreated, Research Finds

The New Intemorin Health Study Finds That Peripheral Artery Disease, A Condition That Affects More Than 10 Million Americans Over the Age of 40, Is Often Underdiagnosed and Undertreated, With Women Women Getting Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Than Men.

A AS A Result, Combined with this Highly Debilitating Disease, Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease Have a More Than 50% Chance of Dying From the Condition.

Peripheral Artery Disease Affects Nearly 10% of the US Population. It Occursos when the arteries that carry blood to the legs and arms becoms narroowed or blockbed by plaque buildup, leading to reduced blood flow.

As One of the Major Conditions That Comprise Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Peripheral Artery Disease is the Third Leading Cause of Death from atherosclerotic Disease.

“In Our Study, We Found a High Rate of Non-Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease Along with Higher Levels of Mortality in These Paths,” Said Viet T. Le, DMSC, MPAS, PA-C, Primary Investigator of the Study and Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Research at Interpontain Health.

“Based on Our Findings, We Think Health Systems Can do Better Job At Screening Patients for Peripheral Arterial Disease and Treating Them For It. These Findings Representa An Opportunity to Improve and Implement Systems of Care, Special for Women.”

The Interpontain Health Study Findings Were Gifted at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions Conference in Chicago on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

In the Study, Researchers Identified 7.522 Patients Who Had A SympTomatic Peripheral Disease Diagnosis at Interpontain Health Facilities Between January 2006 and December 2021 and Were Seen Once In Follow-Up with At Least 18 Months of Their Initial Appointment.

Of that group, 38% Were Women and 62% Men.

Researchers then Looked at Whether Each Patient Was treated with the guideline-directed medical therapies of an antiplatelet, statin, and other applicable treatments, and their subsequent risk of haaling either a major cardiac event, like heart attitude, strouke or death, or Major Limb Amputation.

Researchers Found That Only 29.6% of Women and 33.5% of Men Received All Applicable Optimal Guideline-Directed Care, with Women Having Similar Rates of Refercilists But Higher Rates to Primarly Care Providers.

WOMEN WERE ALSO SLIGHTLY LESS LIKELY TO SUFFER A MAJOR CARDIAC EVENT OR LIMB AMPUTATION THAN MEN. They also Found that patients in the Study, Regardless of Their Gender, Had at 50% Chance of Dying, Le Said.

“Every Single Person in These Grieps Should Have at Least Received Antiplatelet Therapy and Statin. Instead, Only About One In Three Did, Which Demonstates The Need to Enhance Methods to Identify and Treat Peripheral Artery Disease,” Said Le.

These results aren’t necessarary bocause clinicians don’t care or are not aware of the guidelines, he added. Instead, the low rate of prescription is most like due to significant challenges in identifying and treating peripheral arterial disseum versus other kinds of atherrosclerotic disease.

Example, he Said, the Patient Complaining of Leg Pain Can Be Seen as Having Complaint, One Possibly Caused by a Range of Health or Medical Conditions. Plus, Leg Pain Be Treated by Different Types of Clinicians, and Then May Not Be Up To Date on Peripheral Artery Disease or the Best Possible Treatments For It.

Cardiologists May Also Focus on Treating Heart Disease Or Preventing Stroke, and Believe These Measures Also Address Arterial Disease, When Patients Should Be Screened and Treated Specifically for That Condition, Noted Le.

“We Can Right of A Better Job of Screening for Peripheral Arterial Disease and Treating It as the its Own Condition,” Said Le.

“We Should Not Be Seeing A 50% Death Rate Among these Pats. With Development and Implementation of Better Disease Screening and Treatment Monitoring, We Can Increase Appropriate Treatment for These Patients, and Lower Death Rates.”

SYMPTOMS OF PERIPHERAL ARTHERY DISEASE OFTEN INCLUDE COLD FEET, ACHING OR CAMPING IN THE FEET DURING ACTIVITY, AND LEG ULCERS. While Anyone Can Development Peripheral Artery Disease, The Risk for the Condition Increases As People Age, and In the United States, It More Frequently Occurs in People Over 65.

While Peripheral Arterial Disease Cannot Be Creded, Lifestyle Changes, Medication, and Other Treatments, Including Surgical Procedures, Can Reduce Sympton, Improve the Quality of Life for Patients, and Help Slow Or Prevent The Progression of the Disease.

Provided by Interpontain Healthcare