Bsckground The investigations of prevalence and risk factors of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in type 2 diabetic patients have been carried out in many countries and regions,except for Central China.In this study,we determined the prevalence of PAD in type 2 diabetic patients and the related factors that gave rise to increasing of the risk of PAD development in Wuhan,China.Methods The study enrolled 2010 patients aged 60 years and older who were regularly visiting the Central Hospital of Wuhan that is a public hospital from 2005 to 2010,where all residents of the city were offered the medical services.PAD was defined as an ankle-brachial index ＜0.90 in either leg.To evaluate the role of various risk factors in PAD development,uniformed interviews,clinical examinations and laboratory investigation of all of participants were performed in this study.The correlation between potential risk factors and PAD was analyzed.Results In Wuhan,the prevalence rate of PAD was 24.1％ in elderly diabetic patients.Totally,291 patients with PAD had at least one weak but not absent dorsalis pedis pulse in both feet,while 541 patients without PAD showed this way.At least one absent dorsalis pedis pulse was found in 192 patients with PAD as well as 10 patients without PAD.The results of multivariate regression analysis suggested that the age,smoking history,hypertension,diabetic neuropathy and macroangiopathy gave rise to significant increase of PAD development in type 2 diabetic diseases.Conclusions The prevalence of PAD in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes in Wuhan was close to the prevalence that was reported in other regions of China and other Asian countries.Control of the related risk factors and early diagnosis of PAD may play a role in PAD prevention and improving prognosis.