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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffFactors that increase your risk of developing peripheral artery disease include:
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Obesity (a body mass index over 30)
- High blood pressure (140/90 millimeters of mercury or higher)
- High cholesterol (total blood cholesterol over 240 milligrams per deciliter or 6.2 millimoles per liter)
- Increasing age, especially after reaching 50 years of age
- A family history of peripheral artery disease, heart disease or stroke
- Excess levels of homocysteine, a protein component that helps build and maintain tissue
- Excess levels of C-reactive protein, a general marker of inflammation
People who smoke or have diabetes have the greatest risk of complications from PAD — such as tissue death (gangrene) in a leg due to reduced blood flow.
