Objective: To investigate the correlation between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 96 patients with T2DM admitted to our hospital from May 2018 to May 2021 were selected. The patients were divided into a T2DM alone group (n=47) and a T2DM combined with LEAD group (n=49) according to whether there were plaques in the lower limbs. The differences in serum HbA1c and LDL-C and other indicators were compared between the two groups. The correlation between HbA1c and LDL-C levels and vascular lesions of both lower extremities was analyzed by multiple stepwise regression analysis. The diagnostic ability of HbA1c and LDL-C for LEAD was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic  (ROC) curve. Results: The differences of fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C levels and the proportion of hypertension between the 2 groups were statistically significant (t=−3.345, 5.022, −2.721, −2.494, 2.462, all P<0.05). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that serum HbA1c and LDL-C levels were correlated with LEAD in T2DM patients (t=−3.823, −2.493, P<0.05). The area under ROC curve of HbA1c was 0.680, and the sensitivity and specificity of LEAD were 60.0% and 70.6%, respectively. The area under ROC curve of LDL-C was 0.727, the sensitivity was 61.2%, and the specificity was 76.5%. Conclusion: The serum levels of HbA1c and LDL-C in T2DM patients with LEAD are significantly increased, and HbA1c and LDL-C are expected to be used as diagnostic indicators of LEAD.