Ethnic Differences in Prevalence of Peripheral Artery Disease in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Background Hemodialysis patients experience poor outcomes associated with the presence of atherosclerosis, particularly lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). Prevalence of PAD is known to vary between ethnic groups; however, no information on ethnic-specific PAD prevalence in a hemodialysis cohort is available. Methods Data from the Canadian Kidney Dialysis Cohort Study was used in a secondary analysis of 1293 adults starting hemodialysis in three major Canadian centres. PAD diagnosis was determined through structured interview and supplemented by clinical record. Ethnicity was self-reported. Results Overall PAD prevalence was 19.1 % with no significant difference between ethnic groups. Ethnic differences observed in diabetes prevalence in the full hemodialysis group were not present in the subset of PAD patients. Conclusions The prevalence of PAD in patients undergoing hemodialysis is high, however we found no apparent ethnic differences in prevalence between ethnic groups.