Associations of habitual alcohol drinking with HDL cholesterol and D-dimer in patients with peripheral arterial disease

•It is unknown whether cardio-preventive effects of alcohol are shown in PAD.•Relations of drinking to cardiovascular risk factors were investigated in PAD.•HDL cholesterol was significantly higher in regular drinkers than in nondrinkers.•D-dimer was significantly lower in regular drinkers than in nondrinkers.•Habitual alcohol drinking may have cardio-preventive effects in PAD.