Furthermore we observed a significant negative correlation between adiponectin plasma levels and some cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia and clinical variables indicating previous cardiovascular morbidity such as previous TIA/Stroke and incident vascular morbidity such as neuropathy, microalbuminuria and PAD and these findings further suggest a possible role of hypo-adiponectinaemia as a putative marker of cardiovascular morbidity both prevalent and incident. This evidence concerns the gene ADIPOQ and peripheral arterial disease.