Introduction:

The Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is defined as the occlusion of the extremities' arteries, and it is known to be the third vascular atherosclerotic cause of death after acute myocardial infarction and brain stroke. Even though cardiovascular diseases had been linked to occupation, information about the relation between PAD and labor activity runs short.

Objective:

To identify the PAD prevalence in the working population and its relationship with sociodemographic, clinical and lifestyle variables. Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 203 people of >40 years, actively working in the city of Popayán. After consent signing, interviews were completed to record such variables. PAD testing was evaluated through Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI). Participants were grouped into categories based on ABI as follows: PAD ≤0.90; normal 0.91 to 0.99; and non-compressible >1.40. Collected data was analyzed in SPSS version 26.0, applying Kolmogorov-Smirnov test as the normal; t Student test to evaluate mean differences between study groups and Chi-square.

Results and discussion:

PAD prevalence was 2.5 % being the very first report done for Colombia's working class. PAD was prevalent for manual-labor employees (2.8 %), low-income people (30 %), adding obesity and smoking to their profile. Age risk found was (OR 1.5; IC 95 % 1.17 to 2.14), by gender (OR 1.2; IC 95 % 1.20 to 3.28); DM2 (OR 1.5; IC 95 % 1.23 to 6.68).

Conclusion:

It was determined for the first time a prevalence of (2.5 °%) PAD for a population actively working in Popayán, being more frequent with individuals with low income, people exposed to higher cardiovascular risks, and for people with family DM2 records.