The Frequency of Primary Healthcare Contacts Preceding the Diagnosis of Lower-Extremity Arterial Disease: Do Women Consult General Practice Differently?

ABSTRACT: Background. Women with lower-extremity arterial disease (LEAD) are often underdiagnosed, present themselves with more advanced disease at diagnosis, and fare worse than men. Objective. To investigate to what extent potential gender differences exist in the frequency and reasons for general practitioner (GP) consultation six months prior to the diagnosis of LEAD, as potential indicators of diagnostic delay. Methods. Individuals older than 18 years diagnosed with LEAD, sampled from the Julius General Practitioner's Network (JGPN), were included and compared with a reference population, matched (1:2.6 ratio) in terms of age, sex, and general practice. We applied a zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression model. Results. The study population comprised 4044

SUBMITTER: Porras CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9267865 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature