The Epidemiology of Peripheral Arterial Disease

There is now a substantial amount of data available on all aspects of peripheral arterial disease, including both incidence and prevalence, associated risk factors, and the natural history of the disease.Peripheral arterial disease is a significant cause of morbidity in the community, especially in the elderly, and therefore a knowledge of its aetiology and natural history is important both in terms of planning health care services, and in enhancing our understanding of disease in the coronary and cerebral arteries.