title: Gender disparities in disease-specific health status in postoperative patients with peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate gender disparities in disease-specific health status (HS), 3- and 5-year post-intervention in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 711 consecutively enrolled vascular surgery patients were collected in 11 hospitals in The Netherlands in 2004. HS was assessed with the Peripheral Artery Questionnaire (PAQ). Our sample included patients for whom it was possible to calculate a PAQ summary score at 3- and 5-year follow-up (n = 351).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women experienced worse physical health (52.1 vs. 62.0, P = 0.012), greater disability (64.5 vs. 71.1, P = 0.026), and worse overall HS (58.1 vs. 66.7, P = 0.007) at 3-year follow-up than men. At 5-year follow-up, however, male and female patients reported similar levels of HS. Mean changes in overall HS from 3- to 5-year follow-up were significantly different for men and women (-4.12 vs. 1.69, P = 0.014). In male patients, overall HS was significantly lower at 5-year follow-up compared to the 3-year follow-up (66.7 vs. 62.6, P = 0.001). In female patients, there was no significant difference (58.1 vs. 59.8, P = 0.393).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men and women experience different levels of HS over time. Attention should be paid to gender disparities in postoperative PAD patients.
authors.affiliation: CoRPS, Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Mastenbroek
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hoeks
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: W J M
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Scholte Op Reimer
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Voute
authors.forename: H J M
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verhagen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors