Women coping with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs appear to lose mobility faster than men.
Women coping with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs appear to lose mobility faster than men.
PAD is marked by narrowing and blockages of the peripheral arteries, usually those in the legs and pelvis. The most common symptoms are pain, cramping and tiredness in the leg or hip muscles when walking or climbing stairs - symptoms that go away during rest. Such patients are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
To examine whether disease progression differs among men and women, researchers tracked the progress of 380 male and female patients with PAD of the legs in Chicago. All the participants were 59 years and older. Over a four-year period, annual mobility assessments were conducted during which each patient was asked to complete a quarter mile, six-minute walk, as well as a four-minute speed test, to observe the development of disability. Changes in calf muscle measurements and characteristics were also noted, alongside knee extension strength. Oxygen is needed to fuel calf muscles, and blockages in leg arteries prevent oxygen from reaching the calf muscles of people with PAD.
Overall, it was determined that after adjusting for age, women fared more poorly than men over the course of the study. As the study period unfolded, it was noted that women ended up walking less per week and had more difficulty walking the quarter-mile. Specifically, female PAD patients who had initially been able to complete a continuous six-minute quarter-mile walk were 2.3 times as likely as men to lose that ability by year four.
Women were also more likely to undergo a decline in unassisted mobility at a faster rate, year-to-year, than men, and were 1.9 times higher to develop mobility disability (defined as being unable to continuously walk a quarter mile or ascend and descend a single flight of stairs without help).
Women also experienced a faster drop than men in the speed with which they could walk unassisted. And although women experienced less of an annual decline in calf muscle area and isometric knee extension strength than men, they also had generally smaller calf muscles, lower calf muscle density, and less overall knee extension strength to begin with.
It was concluded that female PAD patients suffer faster rates of functional decline than their male counterparts. Small calf muscles may be a feminine trait, but for women with PAD they are a major disadvantage. The researchers advise that it is important for women with PAD to get the diagnosis and engage in walking exercise to try and protect against decline.
PAD is marked by narrowing and blockages of the peripheral arteries, usually those in the legs and pelvis. The most common symptoms are pain, cramping and tiredness in the leg or hip muscles when walking or climbing stairs - symptoms that go away during rest. Such patients are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
To examine whether disease progression differs among men and women, researchers tracked the progress of 380 male and female patients with PAD of the legs in Chicago. All the participants were 59 years and older. Over a four-year period, annual mobility assessments were conducted during which each patient was asked to complete a quarter mile, six-minute walk, as well as a four-minute speed test, to observe the development of disability. Changes in calf muscle measurements and characteristics were also noted, alongside knee extension strength. Oxygen is needed to fuel calf muscles, and blockages in leg arteries prevent oxygen from reaching the calf muscles of people with PAD.
Overall, it was determined that after adjusting for age, women fared more poorly than men over the course of the study. As the study period unfolded, it was noted that women ended up walking less per week and had more difficulty walking the quarter-mile. Specifically, female PAD patients who had initially been able to complete a continuous six-minute quarter-mile walk were 2.3 times as likely as men to lose that ability by year four.
Women were also more likely to undergo a decline in unassisted mobility at a faster rate, year-to-year, than men, and were 1.9 times higher to develop mobility disability (defined as being unable to continuously walk a quarter mile or ascend and descend a single flight of stairs without help).
Women also experienced a faster drop than men in the speed with which they could walk unassisted. And although women experienced less of an annual decline in calf muscle area and isometric knee extension strength than men, they also had generally smaller calf muscles, lower calf muscle density, and less overall knee extension strength to begin with.
It was concluded that female PAD patients suffer faster rates of functional decline than their male counterparts. Small calf muscles may be a feminine trait, but for women with PAD they are a major disadvantage. The researchers advise that it is important for women with PAD to get the diagnosis and engage in walking exercise to try and protect against decline.
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