Gender differences in health status and adverse outcomes among patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Background: Few studies have examined gender differences in health status and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). This study assessed (1) self-reported health status at PAD diagnosis and 12-months later, and explored (2) whether outcomes in women with PAD differ with regard to long-term major adverse events.

Methods And Results: A total of 816 patients (285 women) with PAD were enrolled from 2 vascular clinics in the Netherlands. Baseline clinical data and subsequent adverse events were recorded and patients completed the Short Form-12 (SF-12, Physical Component Score [PCS] and Mental Component Score [MCS]) upon PAD diagnosis and 12-months later. Women had similar ages and clinical characteristics, but poorer socio-economic status and more depressive symptoms at initial diagnosis, as compared with men. Women also had poorer physical (PCS: 37±10 versus 40±10, P=0.004) and mental (

Mcs: 47±12 versus 49±11, P=0.005) health status at the time of presentation. At 12-months, women still reported a poorer overall PCS score (41±12 versus 46±11, P=0.006) and MCS score (42±14 versus 49±12, P=0.002). Female gender was an independent determinant of a poorer baseline and 12-month PCS and MCS scores. However, there were no significant differences by gender on either mortality (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR]=0.93, 95% CI 0.60;1.44, P=0.74) or major adverse events (unadjusted HR=0.90, 95% CI 0.63;1.29, P=0.57), after a median follow-up of 3.2 years.

Conclusions: Women's physical and mental health status is compromised both at initial PAD diagnosis and at 12-month follow-up, despite experiencing a similar magnitude of change in their health scores throughout the first 12-months after diagnosis.