Peripheral artery disease and kidney function in hypertensive patients

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have a high risk of developing cardiovascular events. There is a high prevalence of PAD in individuals with kidney disease and both are important risk factors for cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PAD and renal function in hypertensive patients. The sample consisted of 909 individuals with arterial hypertension. The presence of PAD was evaluated using the ankle-brachial index (ABI) method and renal function was assessed based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The subjects were divided into groups, according to abnormal (ABI < 0.9) and normal ABI (ABI 0.9-1.4). The percentage of subjects with abnormal ABI was 8%. In the group of individuals with abnormal ABI, prevalence of CKD was 23.4%, compared to a prevalence of 11.2% in patients with normal ABI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, after adjusting the model to the conventional cardiovascular risk factors, identified a statistically significant and independent effect of eGFR on the likelihood of developing PAD, with an OR of 0.987 (CI: 0.97-1.00). An independent association between PAD and chronic kidney disease was observed in the present study. Therefore, the combination of an accurate diagnosis of kidney disease and routine ABI evaluation could constitute a more efficient means to identify subclinical PAD, allowing individuals to benefit from early interventions, aiming at reducing cardiovascular risk.