Prevalence and Characteristics of Major Vascular Diseases of Elderly Men in the Incheon Area

Purpose: As Korea is an aging society (WHO classification) and projected to be an aged society in 10 years, peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) in the elderly population has emerged as an important social and medical issue. But their prevalence was rarely reported in Korea. The purpose of this study is to define the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis (CAS), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) of lower limb in the Incheon area. Methods: Elderly men (≥65 years) were referred randomly from the Incheon Federation of Korean Senior Citizens’ Association (from Nov 2008 to Sep 2009) to Inha Univeristy Hospital, Incheon, Korea for a PVD screening program. The subjects were screened for CAS and AAA by duplex. CAS was defined as ≥50% internal CAS and AAA as ≥3 ㎝ aortic diameter in minor axis. PAOD of lower limb was screened by measurement of ankle brachial index (ABI); ABI of ≤0.9 was considered abnormal. Results: 1150 subjects were screened including 103 octogenarians (9.0%). Mean age was 72.3±0.2 years. Combined conditions were hypertension (54.3%), diabetes mellitus (25.2%), coronary artery disease (15.6%), dyslipidemia (18.9%), obesity (31.1%) and smoking history (71.7%). CAS was detected in 7.7% (89/1,150) subjects. Thirty-three (2.9%) were diagnosed with AAA. PAOD was detected in 50 subjects (4.4%). Conclusion: Prevalence of PVD in Korea is not lower compared to that of western countries, especially the USA and the UK. A nationwide program for timely detection and treatment for PVD should be developed.