ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Europe2021
Peripheral artery disease in Germany (2009-2018): Prevalence, frequency of specialized ambulatory care and use of guideline-recommended therapy - A population-based study.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Europe, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital therapeutics in peripheral artery disease: a step forward, not yet across the finish line.European heart journal. Digital health · 2026Article
- Clinical burden and management gaps in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A nationwide study of 687,212 patients in Taiwan, 2017-2023.International journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature · 2025Article
- Oral Anticoagulant Management for Peripheral Vascular Disease.Advances in surgery · 2025Review
- Clinician underprescription of and patient nonadherence to clinical practice guideline-recommended medications for peripheral artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Lesion Localization and Limb Outcomes in Elderly Patients with and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Who Undergo Atherectomy-Assisted Endovascular Revascularization due to Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- [Lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD)].Herz · 2024Article
- [Topicality of the fundamental and determining importance of chronic critical ischemia of the extremities and its restorative treatment using crural/pedal bypasses in Germany and in Saxony-Anhalt].Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- [Lack of experienced surgeons in vascular surgery-A joint task].Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- Incidence, predictors and vascular sequelae of distal limb ischemia in minimally invasive cardiac surgery with femoral artery cannulation: an observational cohort study.Heart and vessels · 2023Observational
- Low and High Ankle-Brachial Index Are Both Associated with Mortality in German Nursing Home Residents-The Five-Year Follow-Up of the "Allo-Study" Cohort.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Coronary Artery Disease in Patients Hospitalized for Peripheral Artery Disease: A Nationwide Analysis of 1.8 Million Patients.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Patient Characteristics in the Recording Courses of Vascular Diseases (Reccord) Registry: Comparison with the Voyager Pad Endovascular Cohort.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2023Article
- Secondary Prevention in Lower Extremity Artery Disease Patients: Lipid-Lowering Therapy and Long-Term Guideline Adherence.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Income-Related Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment: A Nation-Wide Analysis from 2009-2018.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2022Article
- Temporal trends in patients with peripheral artery disease influenced by diabetes mellitus in Germany.Journal of diabetes · 2022Article
- Sex-related differences in treatment and outcome of chronic limb-threatening ischaemia: a real-world cohort.European heart journal · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeripheral artery disease (PAD) patients have high morbidity and mortality rates, demonstrating a need for improved treatment strategies. While underuse and undertreatment have been reported, there is no clear picture of patterns in population-level disease prevalence, prescription of guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy, or frequency of contact with dedicated specialists. We present population-level data on changes in prevalence, care and treatment of PAD from 2009 to 2018 in Germany.
methodsWe analyzed the ambulatory claims data for all statutorily insured patients comprising 70.1 million patients each year and 87% of the German population. Prevalence was assessed by documentation of PAD and stratified by age and sex within the 10-year study timeframe. In addition, current ambulatory care, stratified by vascular specialists (vascular surgeons or angiologists), internists, cardiologists and primary care physicians, were examined.
findingsPrevalence increased from 1·85% in 2009 to 3·14% in 2018, affecting 2·3 million patients in 2018 and more males (55%) than females (45%). A low level of visits to vascular specialists, with 11·1% receiving care from vascular surgeons and 8·1% from angiologists, was shown. Moreover, analysis of guideline-recommended prescriptions revealed increasing, but still insufficient, prescription frequencies among PAD patients between 2009 and 2016, from 42·6% to 56% for statins and from 40·2% to 48·0% for antiplatelets.
interpretationOur results show that the prevalence of PAD in Germany, as assessed by outpatient PAD documentation, is increasing and PAD patients are underutilizing specialized vascular care; moreover, the prescription frequency of guideline-recommended therapies remains low. There is a clear need to improve the referral and treatment algorithms in the high-risk PAD population.
fundingNone.
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