Approaches to reduce the risk of progression of peripheral artery disease from the standpoint of a cardiologist

Aim. To determine the factors contributing to the progression of peripheral artery diseases in patients receiving outpatient care within the 3-year follow-up.
Methods. 585 patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing outpatient treatment in the period from 2010 to 2016 were recruited in a study. The follow-up period was three years. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 patients (n = 225) with a favorable course of peripheral atherosclerosis, and Group 2 patients (n = 303) with an unfavorable course of peripheral atherosclerosis. Patients were assigned to the groups based on their medical history (a decrease in pain-free walking distance within three years, amputation) and/or data of duplex scanning of the lower extremity arteries (significant progression of stenosis >20% over three years).
Results. 87.1% of patients from Group 1 and 70.63% of patients from Group 2 visited cardiologists regularly within 3 years (p<0.0001). A total of 69.33% of patients from Group 1 and 61.39% of patients from Group 2 (p = 0.058) visited vascular surgeons within the follow-up period. Within three years, 47 (8.9%) patients achieved hard endpoints. Of them, 18 deaths, 14 myocardial infarctions, and 15 ischemic strokes. 25 patients underwent myocardial revascularization. Adherence to treatment within 3-years follow-up was significantly higher in patients with a favorable course (57.33% vs. 45.21%, p = 0.006). Multivariate logistic regression reported that adherence to treatment years (р=0.0009) and regular visits to cardiologists (p<0.001) significantly improved the 3-year prognosis in patients with peripheral artery disease.
Conclusion. 57% of patients had an adverse course of peripheral atherosclerosis within 3-years follow-up. These results show that regular outpatient examinations of patients with peripheral atherosclerosis by cardiologists allow prescribing optimal drug therapy and reducing the risk of atherosclerosis progression.

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