Risk factors for peripheral arterial disease in the tropics and its comparison with the western population

Objective: To identify and compare the existence of similar and other risk factors in the perspective of an Indian population. Methods: It was designed as a case control study and was conducted in the Department of General and Vascular Surgery Unit 2 of Christian Medical College, Vellore, India between the periods July 2003 to June 2005. 100 patients with an ABPI<0.9 and 100 controls were studied. Results: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was found to be commoner among males (87%). While atherosclerosis was the commonest aetiology (54%), the incidence of Thromboangiitis Obliterans was also not uncommon (38%). Smoking was the main risk factor in the Indian context (83%) as compared to hypercholesterolemia (60%) in the West. The patients with atherosclerotic PAD were middle-aged and had concomitant diabetes (50%) and hypertension (30%). Conclusions: Peripheral arterial disease occurs in a relatively younger age group in India as compared to their Western counterparts. Thromboangiitis Obliterans was found to be a significant aetiology for arterial occlusive disease, with smoking as the primary risk factor followed by diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.