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• Diseases and Conditions
• Aneurysms
• Carotid Artery Disease
• Diabetic Foot Problems
• Peripheral Artery Disease
  • Signs and Symptoms
  • Risk Factors
  • Causes
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatments
  • Physicians and Services
• Veins

Risk Factors

Major Risk Factors

The major risk factors for peripheral artery disease (PAD) include:

• Smoking
  
• Aging - An estimated 12 to 20 percent of those over age 65 have peripheral artery disease.
  
• Having any one of a number of other diseases or conditions.

Smoking is the Greatest Risk Factor

Smoking is the greatest risk factor for PAD. Your risk increases four times if you smoke or have a history of smoking. Smokers who develop PAD get symptoms much earlier than non-smokers who develop the condition.

Other Risk Factors

Other risk factors include:

• Diabetes
  
• High blood pressure
  
• Obesity
  
• High cholesterol
  
• Heart disease
  
• Family history of PAD
  
• Stroke
  
• Excess levels of homocysteine, a protein component that helps build and maintain tissue
  
• Excess levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation
  
• African-Americans are more than twice as likely as whites to have PAD