Gender variation in symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease among type-2 diabetic patients

PURPOSE: Little is known about the existence of potential gender disparities in peripheral arterial occlusive disease. To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze differences attributed to gender in type-2 diabetic patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease, with regard to clinical presentations, risk factors and anatomical distributions of atherosclerosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted at King Abdullah University Hospital, Jordan. Medical records of all diabetic (type-2) patients who presented with symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease in the period from January 2012 and November 2017 were reviewed, data were collected retrospectively. In all, 364 patients (282 males and 82 females) were involved. Criteria for diagnosis include the following Ankle-Brachial Index ⩽ 0.9 and intermittent claudication or critical limb ischemia. Risk factors for atherosclerosis (age, smoking and hypertension) and computed tomography-angiogram findings were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age was higher in females than males (67.61 vs 62.61 years; p = 0.001). Females had greater prevalence of uncontrolled diabetes compared to males (HbA1c 9.07 in females vs 8.51 in males; p = 0.03). High density lipoprotein was higher in females than males (1.02 vs 0.935; p = 0.009). Females presented more with critical limb ischemia than intermittent claudication in comparison with males (p = 0.017). Involvement of superficial femoral artery, deep femoral artery and peroneal artery in hemodynamic relevant atherosclerotic lesion was significantly higher in females than males (p < 0.05). However, involvement of common iliac artery with hemodynamic relevant atherosclerotic lesion was significantly higher in males than females (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical presentation, risk factors and anatomical distributions of atherosclerosis among type-2 diabetic patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease are different between males and females. When compared to males, female patients presented more with critical limb ischemia than intermittent claudication. Females showed higher age at presentation, poor control of diabetes mellitus and higher level of high density lipoprotein. Involvement of superficial femoral artery, deep femoral artery and peroneal artery in hemodynamic relevant atherosclerotic lesion were significantly higher in females than males. In contrast, common iliac artery involvement with hemodynamic relevant atherosclerotic lesion was significantly higher in males than females.