Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease. A patient is unlikely to have isolated cardiac, coronary or peripheral vascular disease (PVD). The risk factors are the same regardless of the vascular territory, although there is some evidence to suggest that diabetes and smoking particularly increase the risk in the lower limbs.

There are a number of well-known cardiovascular risk factors that are best divided into modifiable and non-modifiable:

Modifiable

• Smoking.
  
• Diabetes mellitus.
  
• Dyslipidaemia.
  
• Hypertension.
  
• Obesity and lack of exercise.
  
• Alcohol.

Non-Modifiable

• Increasing age.
  
• Ethnicity.
  
• Family history.

The more that is learnt about these risk factors, the better the medical management of this problem can become. There are newer risk factors emerging such C-reactive protein, hyperhomocysteinaemia and elevated fibrinogen, although benefits of treating these have not been shown.