Back to 2026 Abstracts
Females Face Higher Rates Of Pad Diagnosis: Champions Community-Based Screening Reveals Hidden Disparities
Guistinna Tun1, Maria Denalene Tiu, MS
1, Jade Hiramoto, MD
1, Clara Gomez-Sanchez, MD
1, Manreet Dosanjh
1, Maria D. Gonzalez Hinojosa
1, Molly McCabe
1, Leigh Ann O'Banion, MD
2.
1University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA,
2University of California, San Francisco - Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Females with peripheral artery disease (PAD) often present with atypical or advanced symptoms and experience poorer outcomes than males. The Comprehensive Heart and Limb Preservation Outreach Networks (CHAMPIONS) deliver free cardiovascular screenings in California’s vascular deserts, reaching underserved communities with limited access to care. This study evaluated sex-based disparities in PAD detection among CHAMPIONS participants.
METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 736 participants screened between 2022 and 2025. Screenings included a demographic/health questionnaire, lipid panel, hemoglobin A1c, and blood pressure measurement. At-risk status was determined using the ESVS guidelines for asymptomatic PAD; these participants also underwent measurement of toe-brachial index. PAD was defined as TBI<0.7. Primary outcomes were at-risk classification and PAD diagnosis. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate associations between sex and outcomes.
RESULTS: Females comprised 54.3% (n=400), mean age of 53.1 ± 15.7 years, with no differences in diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or chronic kidney disease compared to males (Table 1). Smoking was more common in males (27.4% vs. 10.5%, p<0.001). 43% of participants were Hispanic, 51% unemployed, and 26% with grade school as highest education. There was no significant difference in at-risk status by sex (female sex OR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.58-1.05, p=0.10). Among at-risk participants, PAD was confirmed in 10.9% females vs. 2.8% males (p<0.001). At-risk females had higher odds of PAD diagnosis compared to males (OR 4.21, 95% CI: 1.80-11.52, p<0.001), persisting after adjustment. Multivariable analysis also identified systolic blood pressure as a significant predictor.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite comparable comorbidities, females at-risk were four times more likely than males to receive a PAD diagnosis. This highlights potential under-detection and under-treatment of PAD in females, particularly within ethnically diverse vascular deserts.
Back to 2026 Abstracts
