BEAUFORT, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Speaking at the inaugural “Gender and Racial Disparities in Peripheral Interventions” session of the 19th annual New Cardiovascular Horizons (NCVH) meeting in New Orleans, Mary L. Yost, President of THE SAGE GROUP, discussed the “Prevalence and Epidemiology Burden of Peripheral Artery Disease and Venous Disease in Women.”
“PAD and venous disease are among the most prevalent women’s diseases,” stated Yost. “Compared with breast cancer, PAD afflicts over 3X more women while venous disease affects 11X to 17X more women.”
“Yet the myth that PAD is a man’s disease persists. Varicose veins, one of the most common forms of CVD, are dismissed as a cosmetic problem,” Ms. Yost observed.
“While both PAD and CVD are underestimated, underdiagnosed and undertreated in all patients, this is especially true in women. The result is unnecessary morbidity and mortality, as well as higher costs,” she stated.
Commenting on the costs of PAD and CVD, Yost explained, “PAD and CVD are very expensive diseases. One of the reasons is that both are frequently not treated until the most severe stages, which are more complex and costly. An increasing percentage of PAD patients are treated for CLI, which is characterized by rest pain, ulcers and gangrene. CVD treatment commonly occurs only after progression to leg ulcers, rather than at earlier stages of venous insufficiency.”
“Varicose veins progress to more severe venous categories, including skin changes and ulcers, at a 2%-4% annual rate. Even in treated patients, recent ‘real-world’ studies have shown that 1% to over 2% develop ulcers at one year,” she continued. “Women represented 75% of these patients.”
According to Ms. Yost, “Between 650,000 and 1.3 million women develop venous ulcers annually at a cost of $11 to $30 billion. We estimate the annual economic burden of PAD in women is $128-$226 billion.”
“Earlier diagnosis and treatment of PAD and CVD could significantly reduce costs and diminish patient suffering,” she concluded.
Additional information on the NCVH gender disparities session can be found at: https://www.m3meetevents.com/ncvh/AgendaAtAGlance.aspx?meeting=NCVH18.
THE SAGE GROUP, a research and consulting company, specializes in peripheral vascular disease in the lower limbs.
Additional information: www.thesagegroup.us.
