Abstract
McDermott et al. have demonstrated, for the first time, that a poor 6 min walk performance and slow walking speed in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are predictors of increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The association was not affected by confounders, such as ankle brachial index and comorbidities. Simple measures of lower extremity functional performance could and should be incorporated into future research studies in patients with PAD. Reducing cardiovascular risk with statins, lowering blood pressure, and administering antiplatelet agents are not enough; measures to improve functional performance should be incorporated into overall cardiovascular risk reduction programs in patients with PAD.
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Olin, J. Can functional performance be used as a simple prognostic indicator in peripheral arterial disease?. Nat Rev Cardiol 5, 686–687 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio1341
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio1341
