WASHINGTON (HealthDay News) -- People with chronic kidney disease have an increased risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition that causes reduced blood flow in the legs and can lead to amputation. PAD is usually caused by atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries.

"Recognition of this increased risk is important, because early detection of PAD through a simple screening test could identify high-risk patients and prevent PAD-related complications, such as leg revascularization surgery and amputation," Dr. Keattiyoat Wattanakit of the University of Minnesota, said in a prepared statement.

Wattanakit was lead author of a study of more than 14,000 middle-aged adults who were followed for an average of 13 years. The participants were split into three groups: those with normal kidney function; those with mildly decreased kidney function; and those with stage 3 or stage 4 chronic kidney disease, which results in a gradual, irreversible loss of kidney function.

Overall, 7.1 percent of the study volunteers developed PAD. People with chronic kidney disease had a much higher rate of PAD (22.8 percent) than those with normal kidney function (6.6 percent).

After adjusting for multiple factors (such as age, race and sex), the study authors found that the rate of PAD was nearly two times higher in chronic kidney disease patients than in people with normal kidney function.

A simple test that compares blood pressure in the arms and legs can be used to screen people for PAD. This type of screening is already recommended for many diabetes patients.

"Our findings similarly highlight and support development of a PAD screening strategy to identify CKD (chronic kidney disease) patients at high risk for PAD," Wattanakit and the other study authors concluded.