Peripheral arterial atherosclerosis and heart failure: state of the art review

Heart failure is considered as a terminal stage of the cardiovascular continuum, beginning with exposure to risk factors followed by the development of asymptomatic cardiovascular damage, progressing to clinically manifest disease. Conventional risk factors such as arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, on the one hand, directly cause structural and functional changes in the heart, and on the other hand, contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Despite the fact that the multifocal nature of atherosclerosis is well known, research data on the role of peripheral arterial atherosclerosis in the development of heart failure are extremely limited. The study of potential relationships between atherosclerosis of peripheral arteries and heart failure is relevant in all sex and age groups of patients.