Series highlights underdiagnosis and poor prognosis of peripheral arterial disease
This three-paper clinical Series argues that peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is underacknowledged, underdiagnosed, and undertreated relative to cardiac and cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease, despite sharing common risk factors. The authors report that patients are often diagnosed only at an advanced, symptomatic stage, at which point 5-year mortality ranges from 30% to 50%, exceeding that of severe cancer and acute myocardial infarction. Subsequent papers in the Series address risk factor optimization, pharmacological and endovascular/surgical therapies, and global disparities in PAD burden by region, sex, and socioeconomic status.