Cohort Study Examining the Presentation, Distribution, and Outcomes of Peripheral Artery Disease in Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Non-Indigenous Australians

Objective: This retrospective cohort study investigated the anatomical distribution, severity, and outcome of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared with non-indigenous Australians.Methods: The distribution, severity, and outcome of PAD were assessed using a validated angiographic scoring system and review of medical records in a cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-indigenous Australians. The relationship between ethnicity and PAD severity, distribution, and outcome were examined using non-parametric statistical tests, Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard analyses.Results: Seventy-three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and 242 non-indigenous Australians were included and followed for a median of 6.7 [IQR 2.7, 9.3] years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients were more likely to present with symptoms of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (81% vs. 25%; p < .001), had greater median [IQR] angiographic scores for the symptomatic limb (7 [5, 10] vs. 4 [2, 7]) and tibial arteries (5 [2, 6] vs. 2 [0, 4]) and had higher risk of major amputation (HR 6.1, 95% CI 3.6 -10.5; p < .001) and major adverse cardiovascular events (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0 -2.3; p = .036) but not for revascularisation (HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.5 -1.3; p = .37) compared with non-indigenous Australians. The associations with major amputation and major adverse cardiovascular events were no longer statistically significant when adjusted for limb angiographic score.Conclusion: Compared with non-indigenous patients, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had more severe tibial artery disease and a higher risk of major amputation and major adverse cardiovascular events.

Automated summary

This study investigated the distribution, severity, and outcome of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared with non-indigenous Australians. The results showed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients had a higher likelihood of presenting with chronic limb threatening ischaemia symptoms, more severe angiographic scores, particularly in the tibial arteries, and a higher risk of major amputation and major adverse cardiovascular events compared with non-indigenous Australians.