February 17, 2022Circulation Research190 citationsOpen Access
Sex Differences in Peripheral Artery Disease
View Full Paper
Key Result
A review of current knowledge highlights that sex differences in risk factors and clinical manifestations of peripheral artery disease may contribute to delayed diagnosis and disparities in outcomes.
Structured PICO
P
Population
Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD)
This review highlights critical sex differences in peripheral artery disease, emphasizing that differing risk factor associations and clinical manifestations may contribute to delayed diagnosis and undertreatment in women.
Abstract
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a prevalent condition that confers substantial morbidity and mortality and remains underdiagnosed as well as undertreated in the overall population. Although PAD prevalence is similar or higher in women compared with men, associations of traditional and nontraditional risk factors with PAD and clinical manifestations of PAD differ by sex and may contribute to delayed or lack of diagnosis in women. Such sex-based differences in the manifestation of PAD may arise from sexual dimorphism in the vascular substrate in health as well as sex variation in the responses to vascular stressors. Despite the availability of proven therapies for improving symptoms and reducing risk of ischemic cardiovascular and limb events among patients with diagnosed PAD, important sex differences in treatment and outcomes have been observed. We provide an overview of current knowledge regarding sex differences in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of PAD.
Cite This Study
Pabón et al. (2022) conducted a review in Peripheral artery disease. A review of current knowledge highlights that sex differences in risk factors and clinical manifestations of peripheral artery disease may contribute to delayed diagnosis and disparities in outcomes.