Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a manifestation of atherosclerosis characterized by diminished perfusion of the limb and a state of dysmetabolism. The asymptomatic PAD phenotype is a relatively recent classification. It is unknown how many people currently live with asymptomatic PAD because there are no universal screening recommendations for patients at risk for PAD. Patients with asymptomatic PAD suffer from a similar risk profile of morbidity and mortality as their counterparts with claudication. Despite this increased risk, there is a dearth of clinical investigations into therapies that specifically benefit the asymptomatic PAD population. At present, current pharmacotherapies that have been studied in PAD patient populations do not stratify by symptom status. We believe that further investigation of the impact of existing therapies in this unique population presents an opportunity to reduce morbidity and mortality due to PAD. This can only be achieved in combination with wide-spread adoption of screening for asymptomatic PAD.

外周动脉疾病 (PAD) 是动脉粥样硬化的一种表现，其特征是肢体灌注减少和代谢障碍状态。无症状的PAD表型是相对较新的分类。目前尚不清楚有多少人患有无症状 PAD，因为没有针对有 PAD 风险的患者的普遍筛查建议。无症状 PAD 患者的发病率和死亡率与跛行患者相似。尽管增加了这种风险，但仍缺乏针对无症状PAD人群特别有益的疗法的临床研究。目前，已在 PAD 患者群体中研究的当前药物疗法并未按症状状态进行分层。我们相信，进一步研究现有疗法在这一独特人群中的影响为降低 PAD 的发病率和死亡率提供了机会。这只能与广泛采用无症状 PAD 筛查相结合才能实现。