Introduction:

Resistin is an inflammatory mediator and a potential biomarker in cardiovascular diseases.

Objectives: We sought to examine its association with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Patients and methods: We recruited 200 patients with PAD and 100 healthy controls. Patients were divided into 4 subgroups according to the Fontaine classification for PAD, that is, from Stage I to Stage IV. Serum resistin levels were compared between the PAD group and the control group and among 4 PAD subgroups adjusted for selected factors.

Results: Serum resistin (Ln‑resistin – log scale) levels and high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in patients with PAD were higher than in healthy controls (P <0.05). Moreover, among the 4 PAD subgroups, the value of Ln‑resistin in Stage I subgroup was the lowest, and Stage II subgroup had lower Ln‑resistin than Stage III subgroup or Stage IV subgroup (P <0.05). There was also a significant difference in hsCRP levels among those 4 subgroups (P <0.05). In PAD patients, Ln‑resistin levels correlated inversely with the ankle–brachial pressure index (r = –0.301, P <0.05), and positively with total cholesterol levels (r = 0.228, P <0.01). Moreover, a multivariate analysis showed Ln‑resistin levels to be an independent risk factor for PAD (odds ratio, 1.237; 95% confidence interval, 1.086–1.396; P <0.01).

Conclusions: Ln‑resistin levels and hsCRP are elevated in PAD patients, and they rise as the severity of PAD increases. A multivariate analysis suggests that Ln‑resistin could be a prognostic biomarker for the presence of PAD.