What are risk factors for peripheral vascular disease?

• A. Regular exercise and a low-fat diet
• B. Age under 30 and no smoking
• C. Being overweight, history of heart disease, age over 50, elevated cholesterol, and smoking
• D. Normal blood pressure and cholesterol

Answer: (D)

Risk for peripheral vascular disease grows with factors that promote atherosclerosis: age, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a history of heart disease or vascular problems. The option that lists being overweight, history of heart disease, age over 50, elevated cholesterol, and smoking reflects multiple well-established risk factors together, which best represents what increases the chance of developing PVD. In contrast, regular exercise and a low-fat diet are protective and reduce risk, so that choice describes preventive behavior rather than risk. Being under 30 with no smoking is protective, and normal blood pressure and cholesterol describe a low-risk baseline, not risk factors.