By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-11 10:11:39 | Updated at 2025-03-12 03:56:47
18 hours ago
Millions of women could be living with a silent health condition that puts them at risk of strokes and heart attacks, doctors warn.
Officially, at least 10million Americans have peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which causes a narrowing of the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through the body.
But researchers from American Heart Association warn PVD is 'under-recognized and understudied' - they fear it is much more prevalent than the figures suggest, especially in women.
This leads women to go longer without a diagnosis and be more likely to suffer more severe forms of the disease, raising the risk of blood supply being cut off from the brain, causing a stroke.
In a new study, researchers found women are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed, causing doctors to miss the condition.
Women were more than twice as likely to suffer its severe complications, and they were also less aware of its subtle signs, like pain while walking.
A new report from the American Heart Association showed women are at an increased risk of several forms of the deadly heart condition peripheral vascular disease (stock image)
Dr Esther SH Kim, statement author and director of the Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Health at Atrium Health in North Carolina, said: 'Peripheral vascular disease is often under-recognized and understudied in women.
'While differences in heart disease between men and women are increasingly recognized, equivalent focus on vascular diseases affecting blood vessels outside the heart remains lacking.'
Writing this week in the journal Circulation, the American Heart Association team first looked at peripheral artery disease (PAD), the most common form of PVD.
Affecting about 10million Americans, PAD occurs in tiny blood vessels in areas other than the brain and heart, such as the legs.
Patients may initially feel changes in their legs, such as pain while walking. Muscle weakness, hair loss, shiny skin, skin that is cool to the touch, and cold or numb toes are also common.
People who smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes or are obese are all at higher risk for developing PAD, as these factors narrow blood vessels.
Within five years of a PAD diagnosis, one in three patients will die, and one in five will suffer a heart attack or stroke, according to the Mayo Clinic.
While PAD affects men and women almost equally, the researchers found women are more likely to experience either no symptoms at all or easily dismissed symptoms, such as walking at slower speeds.
This could lead to the disease progressing further, increasing the risk of deadly complications like stroke.
The above graphic from the American Heart Association's report shows the types of PVD women are at an increased risk of compared to men
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Additionally, women with aortopathy - conditions affecting the heart's main muscle, the aorta - tend to be diagnosed at older ages and with more severe forms of the disease than men.
This is despite having a lower risk of aortic conditions like aneurysms, as estrogen can protect against them by reducing the amount of enzymes that would weaken blood vessel walls.
Analyzing a study from the UK, the team found women were three times more likely than men to have an aneursym rupture. Additionally, 30 percent of ruptures in women occurred with small aneurysms compared to eight percent in men.
When an aneurysm - a bulging wall in a blood vessel - bursts, it leads to potentially deadly internal bleeding.
Women undergoing surgery to repair their aorta were also more likely than men to suffer as stroke or die.
Additionally, women are up to nine times more likely than men to suffer fibromuscular dysplasia, which causes thickening and narrowing of the arteries without plaque buildup, reducing blood flow.
The condition affects roughly 12 in 100,000 Americans and can lead to stroke and high blood pressure.
The American Heart Association researchers called for increased research on PVD in women, such as by including more women in clinical trials, analyzing sex differences in trials, and looking at treatment strategies targeted specifically in women.
Dr Kim said: 'PVD leads to significant illness and health complications. However, the disparities between women and men hinder equitable outcomes.
'Identified disparities in effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care underscore the importance of tailored prevention and treatment strategies.'
