Prevalence of peripheral arterial disease and its association with smoking in a population-based study in Beijing, China

ObjectiveAlthough the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and its association with smoking in Western populations has been extensively studied, little information is available in China. The objective of this study was to determine the age-standardized prevalence of PAD and examine the relationship between smoking, quitting, and PAD in elderly Chinese.MethodsWe conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in an urban Beijing sample of 2334 subjects aged ≥60 years (943 men and 1391 women) in 2001 to 2002. PAD was assessed by symptoms of intermittent claudication (IC) as measured by the WHO/Rose questionnaire and an ankle-arm systolic blood pressure index (AAI) of