What constitutes best medical therapy for peripheral arterial disease?

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with a high morbidity and mortality, largely from coronary and cerebrovascular disease, which often overshadows the PAD itself. Best Medical Therapy (BMT), comprising smoking cessation, antiplatelet agent use, cholesterol reduction, exercise therapy, and the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and diabetes mellitus; is evidenced based and can result in significant reductions in cardiovascular risk, as well as some improvement in PAD. Previous data have largely been restricted to patients with coronary artery disease, and their relevance to PAD has been extrapolated. However, data are now starting to become available, such as the Heart Protection Study, with data specific to PAD patients. This article reviews the data regarding the use of BMT in patients with PAD, and based on this, makes recommendations for the use of BMT in this group of patients.