Differences Between Women and Men with Intermittent Claudication: A Cross-Sectional Study

作者：Lozano Francisco S^*; Gonzalez Porras Jose R; March Jose R; Carrasco Eduardo; Lobos Jose M

来源：Journal of Women's Health, 2014, 23(10): 834-841.

DOI：10.1089/jwh.2013.4653

Background: Intermittent claudication (IC) and its consequences have customarily been underestimated in women. Our study aimed to determine the differences on functional and quality-of-life issues between women and men in a large group of claudicants. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods: This study was an observational, cross-sectional, nonrandomized, multicenter study of 1,641 claudicants (406 women). Information was collected from patients%26apos; medical history, a physical examination, the ankle-brachial index (ABI), the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ), and the European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D). %26lt;br%26gt;Results: On average, women with IC were older than men with IC (70.0 vs. 67.8 years; p%26lt;0.001) and tended to have a different socio-occupational status. Women were more likely to be obese and less likely to smoke or have dyslipidemia (p%26lt;0.001). Women were notable for their greater prevalence of cardiac insufficiency (p=0.016) and arrhythmias (p%26lt;0.001) and a lower prevalence of ischemic cardiopathy and acute myocardial infarction (p%26lt;0.001). At the same time, there was a significantly higher level of osteoarticular diseases in women: arthrosis (p%26lt;0.001), arthritis (p%26lt;0.001), and lumbar pathology (p=0.006). All the symptoms evaluated that were associated with IC were more frequent in women (p%26lt;0.05). The mean ABI was similar in claudicant women and men. Conversely, the parameter estimates of the WIQ were significantly lower in women (by 4.3%, and 6.5%, respectively; p=0.003). Likewise, the EQ-5D score was 7% lower in women than in men (from 0.52 to 0.59; p%26lt;0.001). %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusions: Women claudicants have higher risk factors and more frequent cardiovascular comorbidity than men do. Women have a lower capacity for exercise and a poorer quality of life than male claudicants, despite having a similar ABI. These poorer outcomes in women can be partially explained by the presence of greater osteoarticular comorbidity.

• 出版日期2014-10-1