Differences between women and men with intermittent claudication: a cross-sectional study.

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Intermittent claudication (IC) is often underestimated in women.
• This study addresses the underrepresentation of women in IC research.
• Investigating sex-based differences in functional and quality-of-life outcomes in IC patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare functional capacity and quality of life between women and men with IC.
• To identify differences in risk factors and comorbidities between sexes in IC patients.
• To explore the impact of comorbidities on outcomes in women with IC.

Main Methods:

• Observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study of 1,641 claudicants (406 women).
• Data collected via medical history, physical examination, ankle-brachial index (ABI), Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ), and European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D).

Main Results:

• Women with IC were older, more likely to be obese, and less likely to smoke or have dyslipidemia compared to men.
• Women exhibited higher prevalence of cardiac insufficiency, arrhythmias, arthrosis, arthritis, and lumbar pathology.
• Despite similar ABI, women reported significantly lower WIQ and EQ-5D scores, indicating reduced exercise capacity and poorer quality of life.

Conclusions:

• Women with IC present with more risk factors and cardiovascular comorbidities than men.
• Poorer functional capacity and quality of life in women claudicants are linked to higher osteoarticular comorbidity.
• These findings highlight the need for sex-specific management strategies for intermittent claudication.