Objective To investigate the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease （PAD） in China type 2 diabetic patients and to demonstrate the relationships between putative risk factors and PAD. Methods In total 1 397 type 2 diabetic patients aged 50 years and older were enrolled and determined ankle-brachial index （ABI） and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity （baPWV） in 15 Class III Grade A hospitals in 7 major cities of China. Results Mean patient age was 63.7±8.2 years and mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 9.39±7.4 years. Two hundreds and seventy-two （19.47%） patients were diagnosed as PAD by ABI <0.9

122 （18.37%） in male and 150 （20.46%） in female. PAD patients had a significantly longer duration of diabetes mellitus

higher hemoglobin Alc

and a significantly lower mean body mass index than non-PAD ones. Aging

smoking

and systolic blood pressure were found to be positively related with the prevalence of PAD. In terms of lipid profiles

no variable was found to relate with PAD. Notably

baPWV showed as the same significant guiding index for PAD

almost matched with ABI. Conclusions PAD is a common complication in China type 2 diabetic patients. Therefore

PAD screening and treatment should be emphasized for diabetic patients with high risk factors.