The prevalence of chronic critical lower limb ischaemia in a population of 20,000 subjects 40-69 years of age

Objective. To study the prevalence and possible risk factors for chronic critical lower limb ischaemia (CLI) in an unselected population of 20,291 Norwegian men and women 40-69 years of age. Methods. Between 1995 and 1997, all residents 20 years or older in Nord-Trondelag County, Norway, were invited to participate in a population study (the HUNT 2 Study). Among the 71.2% who attended, 20,291 participants 40-69 years of age responded to questions specifically aimed at identifying CLI. Chronic critical ischaemia was suspected if participants indicated: (1) ulcers on toes,foot or ankle that had failed to heal and/or, (2) persistent pain in the forefoot while in the supine position, but with relief of this pain when standing up. Using logistic regression analyses, we estimated the association between the prevalence of CLI and smoking, diabetes mellitus, previous cardiovascular events, blood lipids and glucose levels, and body mass index (BMI). Results. The age-adjusted prevalence of CLI was 0.26% among men and 0.24% among women, and there was no gender difference in any age group (age-adjusted OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.52-1.58). The presence of increased age, diabetes mellitus, angina pectoris, high triglyceride levels, and high BMI were all independently associated with higher prevalence of CLI. Conclusion. The prevalence of CLI was 0.24%, similar for both genders, and increased with age. Risk factors usually seen in atherosclerotic patients were associated with suspected CLI.