Gender differences in the prevalence and management of metabolic syndrome and its components in patients with peripheral artery disease.

We compared the prevalence and management of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in men and women with peripheral artery disease (PAD). A total of 70 men and 70 women with PAD were evaluated for presence of MetS. There was no significant gender difference in presence of MetS (P = .399) and the number of MetS components (P = .411). Among PAD patients with each MetS component, there was no significant gender difference in the use (P = .617) and number (P = .716) of blood pressure medications, the use (P = .593) and number (P = .591) of lipid-lowering medications, and the number (P = .155) of diabetic medications. Significantly more women were treated with diabetic medications compared with men (85 vs 57%, P = .026). The prevalence and management of MetS and its components was similar between men and women with PAD, except that more women were treated for diabetes. Patients with PAD having MetS did not receive optimal medical management.