Aims: Atherosclerosis causes coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD) or peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD). The risk of new vascular events and mortality is high. Direct comparisons of vascular event rates are scarce.
Methods and results: Vascular risk factors and outcome events of 3563 patients from a university hospital presenting with nondisabling CAD, CVD or PAOD were compared with regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex (median follow-up, 3.9 years). The primary outcome was the composite of myocardial infarction, stroke and vascular death. The risk among the three groups of outcomes was compared using the Cox regression analysis. At baseline, CAD patients were the most obese; PAOD patients smoked the most and suffered more often from hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. The average rate of vascular events was 2.5% per year; the hazard ratio (HR) of CVD/CAD was 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3-2.2] and PAOD/CAD was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5-2.0). PAOD patients had a higher risk for coronary events than CAD (HR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2-2.1). Patients with CVD or PAOD had a higher risk for major bleeding than CAD patients (HR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.4-3.2).
Conclusion: Patients with a recent CVD or PAOD have almost twice the risk for future vascular events than those with CAD.