Screening and diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease in patients with diabetes : current perspectives

Abstract

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a world-wide concern, especially in persons living with diabetes. This is a challenging condition since often it is asymptomatic and when symptoms do set in, they could be indicative of advanced disease. The early detection of PAD is important as this enables its early management through lifestyle changes and other non-invasive medical modalities. However, there are various issues related to diagnosing PAD especially at primary care level since there are significant issues relating to diagnostic accuracy that could affect the timely diagnosis of this condition. A clinical assessment tool is only of value if the interpretation of the results is correct and repeatable, which is the main issue relating to the clinical tests outlined in this paper. Although literature highlights the importance of accurate screening, diagnosis and management of PAD, this paper provides evidence from studies on the importance of using different non-invasive modalities when assessing patients with PAD. The authors suggest that when results do not concur, further extensive evaluations should be performed. Such information will alleviate the burden related to PAD and its complications. This paper compares the application of different physiological tests used for the early identification of PAD.