Research Paper Title

Usual Blood Pressure, Peripheral Arterial Disease, and Vascular Risk: Cohort Study of 4.2 Million Adults.

Study Question

What are the associations between usual blood pressure and risk of peripheral arterial disease in specific subgroups and the relation between peripheral arterial disease and 12 different vascular events?

Summary Answer

A 20 mm Hg higher than usual systolic blood pressure was associated with a 63% higher risk of peripheral arterial disease. The study further shows that patients with peripheral arterial disease are at an increased risk of a range of different vascular events, including chronic kidney disease, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke, but not haemorrhagic stroke.

What Is Known and What This Paper Adds

Limited evidence suggests that raised blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of peripheral arterial disease and that the disease is associated with an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease and stroke. In this analysis of a large contemporary cohort raised blood pressure is a strong risk factor for peripheral arterial disease in a range of patient subgroups.

Reference

Emdin, C.A., Anderson, S.G>, Callender, T., Conrad, N., Salimi-Khorshidi, G., Mohseni, H., Woodward, M. & Rahimi, K. (2015) Usual Blood Pressure, Peripheral Arterial Disease, and Vascular Risk: Cohort Study of 4.2 Million Adults. BMJ 2015;351:h4865.