Study finds link between chronic kidney disease and chronic peripheral arterial disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Screening chronic kidney disease patients could help reduce complications from peripheral artery disease.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is characterized by restricted blood flow to the legs during exercise which causes pain. It has been linked with heart disease, because many of the risk factors are the same, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. Now researchers at the University of Minnesota reveal that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is also linked to PAD.

They studied a group of more than 14,000 middle-aged adults, classifying them on the basis of their kidney functioning as normal or having mildly decreased kidney function or CKD. During average follow up of 13 years, the participants had regular assessments for PAD and overall 7.1 per cent of the subjects developed the condition. The researchers found that 22.8 per cent of those with CKD developed PAD compared to just 6.6 per cent with normal kidney functioning. When heart risk factors were taken account of, the risk of PAD was about 50 per cent higher among the CKD patients. Since PAD sometimes leads to complications such as a need for corrective surgery or even amputation, it may be worthwhile screening those with CKD for PAD. This is already done with patients who have diabetes.

Source
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology February 2007

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