Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Symptom Descriptors in Individuals Living With Undiagnosed Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease.

Brown RJL, Treat-Jacobson D, Schorr E, Lindquist R, Pruinelli L, Wolfson J. Symptom Descriptors in Individuals Living With Undiagnosed Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2024 Oct 1; 46(10):773-781.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Most individuals with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) experience symptoms other than claudication and live with undiagnosed PAD yet no tools exist to detect atypical PAD symptoms. The purpose of this study was to identify discriminating PAD symptom descriptors from a community-based sample of patients with no current diagnosis of PAD. METHODS: Symptoms descriptors were obtained in a sample of 22 participants with persistent lower extremity symptoms pre/post exercise. An ankle brachial index with exercise was used to classify participants as "PAD" or "No PAD." RESULTS: Thirteen (59%) participants had a positive ankle brachial index ( < 0.9, = 20% drop postexercise, or 30?mmHg drop postexercise). Symptoms do not disappear while walking, trouble keeping up with friends/family, positive response to pain or discomfort while sitting, and pain outside of the calves and thighs were associated with a positive ankle brachial index. CONCLUSION: Atypical symptoms were common among study participants. Symptoms while sitting and symptoms outside of the calf and thigh were negatively associated with a positive ankle brachial index. More precise descriptions of symptom characteristics are needed to improve PAD symptom recognition.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.