Small calf muscles are bigger PAD risk

CHICAGO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Smaller calf muscles may be a clue to why women with peripheral artery disease develop problems walking sooner than men, U.S. researchers say.

Peripheral artery disease -- blockages of the leg arteries -- also puts patients at greater risk of heart attack or stroke.

Study leader Dr. Mary McDermott of Northwestern University observed 380 men and women with the disease for four years.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found the women were more likely than the men to become less able to walk continuously for 6 minutes and more likely to develop a mobility disability.

"When we took into account that the women had less calf muscle than men at the beginning of the study, that seemed to explain at least some of the gender difference," McDermott said in a statement.

McDermott noted the men experienced greater calf muscle loss each year than the women, but the men's greater lower extremity muscle reserve protected them against the women's rapid loss of function.

"We know that supervised treadmill exercise can prevent decline, so it's especially important for women with PAD to get the diagnosis and engage in walking exercise to try and protect against decline," McDermott advised.