IJCS | Volume 31, Nº4, July / August 2018

410 Alvim et al. Prevalence of peripheral artery disease Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2018;31(4)405-413 Original Article Table 3 - Lifestyle characteristics of individuals with and without peripheral artery disease Lifestyle characteristics Total (1,627) PAD present (n = 17) PAD absent (n = 1,610) p value Smoking Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Yes, and still smoke 11.0% 5.9% 11.1% 0.02 Yes, in the past 23.3% 58.8% 22.9% No 65.7% 35.3% 66.0% Nº of cigarrettes/day 13.3 ± 12.3 23.2 ± 14.3 13.1 ± 12.2 0.007 Alcohol consumption Daily 0.9% 0% 0.9% 0.70 1-3 days/week 10.0% 0% 10.1% 4-6 days/week 0.9% 0% 0.9% 1-3 days/month 11.0% 5.9% 11.1% Less than 1 day/month 6.0% 11.8% 6.0% Gets drunk at least once a month 0.7% 0% 0.7% None 70.4% 82.3% 70.3% Physical activity Very active 3.4% 0% 3.5% 0.05 Active 30.1% 5.9% 30.4% Irregularly active 25.2 % 17.6% 25.3% Sedentary 41.2% 76.5% 40.8% Alcohol consumption (mean frequency of alcohol intake in the last 12 months); physical activity (activities carried out in the last week - International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form [IPAQ-SF]). All variables are categorical and were compared using chi-square test. PAD: peripheral artery disease. with volunteers with normal ABI. Furthermore, a higher prevalence of physical inactivity, obesity and smoking frequency and intensity (cigarettes/ day) was found in volunteers with PAD. These variables are frequently associated with PAD in other studies. 15-17,19,20,22,23,32 The present study also identified a higher frequency of PAD in blacks comparedwithwhites. This finding is aligned with recent data published by Eraso et al., 16 who assessed data from the National Health andNutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including 7,058 subjects above the age of 40 years. Another potential explanation for the lowprevalence of PAD in the assessed population is the fact that the study was conducted in a small town where overall habits (e.g., nutritional) and exposure to risk factor (e.g., mental stress), other than the investigated here, are different from those observed in large cities. Comparing our population with the one included in the study by Makdisse et al. 18 (conducted in large Brazilian cities), our results showed a lower percentage of smokers (34.3% versus 46.7%) and physically inactive individuals (41.18% versus 64.8%). Also, the study by Makdisse et al. 18 had a larger number of individuals with chronic kidney disease (2.46% versus 6.12%), which is a well-known risk factor for PAD. 16,33 Upon applying a multivariable logistic regression model, we determined the independent predictors associated with PAD. Only age, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle emerged as significant