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Published on: October 22, 2014
Age-related differences in invasive treatment of peripheral arterial disease: disease severity versus social support
Annelies E Aquarius1, Johan Denollet, Jaap F Hamming
1CoRPS, Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Department of Medical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Objective:
Social support may influence the seeking of appropriate treatment. We examined social support and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) severity as determinants of treatment for PAD in younger and older patients.
Methods:
Consecutive PAD patients (N=203) completed the Perceived Social Support Scale. Treadmill-walking distance and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) were measured. The main outcome was invasive treatment for PAD in the year following diagnosis.
Results:
During follow-up, 48% of the patients underwent invasive treatment for PAD. Younger patients (
Conclusion:
Younger patients with inadequate social support may fail to seek appropriate treatment, suggesting the need to consider psychosocial factors in optimizing treatment of atherosclerotic vascular disease in this high-risk group.
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