PVD-RISK FACTORS

SUMMARY

1. Arteriosclerosis. 2 major risk factors are DM (5x greater chance) and smoking. Other RF include hyperhomocysteinemia, hyperlipidaemia, and HTN. NB: Patients are at increased risk of MI and stroke.

2. Arteritis (connective tissue disease, Takayasu arteritis).

3. Trauma (jackhammer hands).

4. Buerger disease (especially smoking males < 30 years old) also called thromboangiitis obliterans. It involves medium and small arteries and often affects arteries of the wrists (positive Allen test) and hands.

5. Entrapment-think especially of thoracic outlet syndrome and popliteal artery entrapment. Suspect popliteal artery entrapment in young men with intermittent claudication of calf or foot arch with walking-but not running!

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].