%0 Journal Article %T Leg Atherosclerosis in Japanese COPD Patients: Prevalence of Undiagnosed Peripheral Artery Disease and Association between Leg Atherosclerosis and Clinical Indices %A Hirofumi Matsuoka %A Yusuke Matsumoto %A Kengo Kimura %A Midori Koyama %A Towa Uzu %A Yasuko Koma %A Kensuke Fukumitsu %A Yoshitaka Kasai %A Nariyasu Nakashima %A Daiki Masuya %A Harukazu Yoshimatsu %A Yujiro Suzuki %J Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases %P 25-30 %@ 2163-9418 %D 2013 %I Scientific Research Publishing %R 10.4236/ojrd.2013.31005 %X Introduction: Several studies have suggested that decreased FEV₁ is associated with cardiovascular risk in COPD patients. Objective: To identify the prevalence of undiagnosed peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the relationship between leg atherosclerosis and clinical indices, which predict COPD mortality in Japanese COPD patients. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in 51 COPD patients and 51 age-matched, healthy control smokers. We measured ankle-brachial index (ABI) as a marker of atherosclerosis of the legs, pulmonary function, body mass index, modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea scale, and smoking pack-years. We also calculated the ADO index (Age, Dyspnea, and Obstruction), an established predictor of mortality in COPD patients. Co-morbidities including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia were identified from blood laboratory tests and medical records. Results: Five subjects (9.8%) had an ABI < 0.9. ABI was significantly lower in the COPD patients than in the healthy control smokers (p < 0.05). The prevalence of PAD was marginally higher in COPD patients than in control smokers (p = 0.09), with the prevalence of ABI < 1.0 being significantly higher in COPD patients than in control smokers (p