Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is caused by fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries (or atherosclerosis) that leads to narrowing of the arteries (or stenosis) and obstructions in the major vessels supplying the lower legs. PAD can cause discomfort or pain in the lower legs when walking. People with PAD have an increased risk of death, heart and cerebrovascular disease and often receive treatment to manage their cardiac risk. They suffer from significant functional limitations in their daily activities, and the most severely affected are at risk of limb loss. Many people with PAD do not have any symptoms. Only some people have discomfort or pain in the lower legs when walking, so PAD often goes undetected. One possible way to identify this disease is to screen the population at increased risk of PAD. It is important to determine the effectiveness of screening in preventing heart and cerebrovascular diseases or further progression of PAD.

This review found no randomised controlled trial evidence on screening for PAD. High quality research is required to help healthcare providers decide whether screening for PAD in asymptomatic and undiagnosed individuals is effective in terms of reduction of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events (for example myocardial infarction and stroke), morbidity from PAD (intermittent claudication, amputation, reduced walking distance) and improvement in quality of life.