Objective: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) was demonstrated to be involved in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of FGF23 on presence and severity of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in type 2 diabetic patients.
Patients and methods: In this study, we analyzed FGF23 serum levels in 413 type 2 diabetic patients with PAD and in 598 diabetic controls without lower limbs atherosclerosis.
Results: We found that FGF23 median serum levels were significantly higher in patients than in diabetic controls (69.3 (58.8-75.1) pg/mL in PAD and 42.98 (37.1-49.8) pg/mL in subjects without PAD (p < 0.001) and were significantly and independently associated with critical limb ischemia (CLI) [OR, 7.69 (2.64-16.31); p = 0.001].
Conclusions: We have found, for the first time, that FGF23 could be associated with presence and severity of PAD in Italian patients with type 2 diabetes.