More than 5 million people live with heart failure (HF) in the United States, and this number is expected to rise due to several factors including increased life expectancy brought about by medical therapy and the aging of the population. HF and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) share many risk factors. A review of the literature reveals several studies supporting a higher prevalence of HF in patients with PAD than in those without PAD. However, no study was found that estimates the prevalence of PAD in patients with HF. Moreover, the prevalence of PAD by US race/ethnic groups with HF has not been studied. The authors conducted a cross-sectional multicenter study of patients enrolled in an HF disease management program in Louisiana (n=330) and Florida (n=464). All patients with an ejection fraction <or=40% and a measured ankle-brachial index (ABI) were included in the study. PAD was defined as an ABI <0.9. The overall prevalence of PAD was 17.1%. The prevalence of PAD was 25.9% for white, 13.4% for Hispanic, and 13.7% for black patients. White patients had a higher prevalence of PAD than black or Hispanic patients (P<.001). Routine ABI measurements in these groups would enhance efforts to detect subclinical PAD.
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