Journal of Vascular Surgery
Volume 51, Issue 3 , Pages 610-615, March 2010

Gender and ethnic differences in arterial compliance in patients with intermittent claudication

  • Andrew W. Gardner, PhD

      Affiliations

    • CMRI Diabetes and Metabolic Research Program, Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Okla
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Andrew W. Gardner, PhD, Hobbs-Recknagel Professor, General Clinical Research Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1122 N.E. 13th Street, Suite 150, Oklahoma City, OK 73117
    • ,
  • Polly S. Montgomery, MS

      Affiliations

    • CMRI Diabetes and Metabolic Research Program, Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Okla
    • ,
  • Steve M. Blevins, MD

      Affiliations

    • General Internal Medicine Section, Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Okla
    • ,
  • Donald E. Parker, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Okla

Received 5 August 2009; accepted 30 September 2009.

Objective

To assess the gender and ethnic differences in arterial compliance in patients with intermittent claudication.

Methods

A total of 114 patients participated, including 38 Caucasian men, 32 Caucasian women, 16 African American men, and 28 African American women. Patients were assessed on large artery elasticity index (LAEI), small artery elasticity index (SAEI), age, weight, body mass index, ankle-brachial index (ABI), smoking status, and metabolic syndrome components.

Results

Group differences were found for LAEI (P = .042), SAEI (P = .019), body mass index (P = .020), prevalence of elevated fasting glucose (P = .001), and prevalence of abdominal obesity (P = .025). Significant covariates for LAEI included age (P = .0002) and elevated triglycerides (P = .0719). LAEI (units = 10 mL × mm Hg) adjusted for age and triglycerides was 39% lower (P = .0005) in African Americans (11.4 ± .90; mean ± SE) than in Caucasians (15.8 ± 0.72), whereas no significant difference (P = .7904) existed between men (13.8 ± 0.81) and women (13.5 ± 0.79). Significant covariates for SAEI included age (P = .0001), abdominal obesity (P = .0030), and elevated blood pressure (P = .0067). SAEI (units = 100 mL × mm Hg) adjusted for age, abdominal obesity, and elevated blood pressure was 32% lower (P = .0007) in African-Americans (2.8 ± 0.3) than in Caucasians 4.1 ± 0.2), and was 18% lower (P = .0442) in women (3.1 ± 0.2) than in men (3.8 ± 0.2).

Conclusion

African American patients with intermittent claudication have more impaired macrovascular and microvascular function than Caucasian patients, and women have more impaired microvascular function than men. These ethnic and gender differences in arterial compliance are evident even though ABI was similar among groups, suggesting that arterial compliance provides unique information to quantify vascular impairment in patients with intermittent claudication.

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 This research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) (R01-AG-24296; AWG), by a Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology grant (HR04-113S; AWG), and by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center General Clinical Research Center grant (M01-RR-14467), sponsored by the National Center for Research Resources from the National Institutes of Health.

 The final peer-reviewed version of this manuscript is subject to the NIH Public Access Policy, and will be submitted to PubMed Central.

 Competition of interest: none.

 The editors and reviewers of this article have no relevant financial relationships to disclose per the JVS policy that requires reviewers to decline review of any manuscript for which they may have a competition of interest.

PII: S0741-5214(09)02097-7

doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2009.09.059

Journal of Vascular Surgery
Volume 51, Issue 3 , Pages 610-615, March 2010

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