Impact of peripheral artery disease on daily living: A study on knowledge, contributing factors and quality of life among patients

Abstract

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition that affects blood vessels and may lead to complications such as foot or leg ulcers and gangrene. However, the level of awareness of PAD among the population of coastal Karnataka is not well known, and it is known that PAD has a significant negative impact on the quality of life of these patients. The objective of the present study was to assess knowledge, identify contributing factors, and quality of life among patients with PAD, and determine the associations between quality of life and selected demographic and clinical variables.

Methods

This hospital-based descriptive study was conducted among 202 patients with PAD. The demographic details, clinical parameters, knowledge of PAD, factors contributing to PAD, and quality of life of patients with PAD were assessed via validated data collection instruments.

Results

The mean age was 60.35 (SD=1.04) years, and 86.1% were males. Among the participants, 77.7% had undergone surgery, 13.4% had a below-knee amputation, and 2.5% had forefoot amputation. The majority of the patients (75.8%) had a moderate level of knowledge, 18.8% had good knowledge, and very few (5.4%) had poor knowledge of PAD, with a median value of 10.5 (IQR 9–12), where the IQR represents the range between the 25th and 75th percentiles of the data, capturing the middle 50% of the distribution. The contributing factors of PAD, such as advanced age (42.6%), diabetes mellitus (76.7%), hypertension (60.4%), dyslipidemia (49%), smoking (26.2%), sedentary lifestyle (11.4%) and overweight (8.4%), were present among these patients. The quality-of-life score was low in areas of self-concept and feelings, with a median value of 8.57 (IQR 0–17.14), and positive adaptation scores were high, with a median value of 51.42 (IQR 40– 54.28). An association was found between PAD quality of life and advanced age (p=0.038), rural residency (p=0.006), and the clinical diagnosis of PAD with diabetes mellitus and hypertension (p=0.021).

Conclusion

The findings are concerning, as they reveal numerous complications and a significant incidence of amputation among patients. Moreover, the patients had moderate knowledge of PAD; hence, education materials were prepared to provide knowledge to these patients. Advanced age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and overweight were the contributing factors identified among these patients. The quality-of-life score in the areas of self-concept and feelings was low. This study strongly identifies the need for general awareness of PAD, which can be prevented by lifestyle modifications. This study highlights the need for early PAD screening to prevent complications and major cardiovascular events.