Atherosclerosis is a disease which affects the whole arterial vascular tree. In particular patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) often suffer from additional atherosclerotic manifestations in other vascular territories. This has a direct impact on cardiovascular prognosis. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. A high inflammatory burden is associated with polyvascular atherosclerosis and also with the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Control of cardiovascular risk factors is crucial for the treatment of patients with polyvascular atherosclerosis. In addition, anticoagulation treatment is very important in patients with atherosclerosis. Moreover, exercise training is an important treatment option in PAOD patients not only to improve walking distance but also for multiple additional positive effects. So far the role of anti-inflammatory treatment is not clear and must be further elaborated by future clinical research.
Keywords: Anticoagulation; Cardiovascular prognosis; Inflammation; Polyvascular atherosclerosis; Vessel tree.