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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Dec 27.
Published in final edited form as: Circulation. 2009 Sep 8;120(12):1048–1055. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.842328

Table 6.

Calf muscle percent fat and functional outcomes among persons with peripheral arterial disease.

Tertile 1 Tertile 2 Tertile 3 Trend P value
MOBILITY LOSS (n=332)
Tertile Definition 1.21%–4.94% 4.97%–9.41% 9.43%–84.4%
Number of participants N=110 N=111 N=111
Number with mobility loss during follow-up N=5 N=19 N=25
Model 1 0.18 (0.06 – 0.48)1 0.71 (0.37 – 1.37) 1.0 (Reference) 0.015
Model 2 0.19 (0.06 – 0.59)2 0.79 (0.37 – 1.67) 1.0 (Reference) 0.074
Model 3 0.19 (0.06 – 0.60)2 0.79 (0.37 – 1.69) 1.0 (Reference) 0.068
Model 4 0.18 (0.06–0.55)3 0.74 (0.34–1.60) 1.0 (Reference) 0.089
BECOMING UNABLE TO WALK FOR SIX MINUTES CONTINUOUSLY (n=237)
Tertile Definition 1.21%–4.80% 4.87%–9.01% 9.05%–87.11%
Number of participants N=79 N=79 N=79
Number who stop during the six-minute walk at follow-up N=11 N=22 N=21
Model 1 0.52 (0.24 – 1.14) 1.09 (0.57 – 2.11) 1.0 (Reference) 0.41
Model 2 0.58 (0.23 – 1.47) 1.12 (0.53 – 2.38) 1.0 (Reference) 0.54
Model 3 0.55 (0.22 – 1.40) 1.09 (0.51 – 2.31) 1.0 (Reference) 0.45
Model 4 0.52 (0.20–1.35) 1.09 (0.51–2.34) 1.0 (Reference) 0.49

Data shown are hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals). Model 1 adjusts for age, sex, and race. Model 2 adjusts for variables in Model 1 and the ankle brachial index, body mass index, smoking, and comorbidities. Model 3 adjusts for covariates in Model 2 and physical activity level. Model 4 adjusts for covariates in Model 3 and time dependent use of statin, cilostazol, and pentoxifylline use.

For all analyses, the reference group is the tertile of PAD participants with highest calf percent fat.

1

p<0.001 relative to the reference value.

2

p=0.004 relative to the reference value.

3

p=0.003 relative to the reference value.

Analyses for mobility loss exclude participants with mobility limitation at baseline. Analyses for becoming unable to walk for six-minutes continuously exclude participants who stopped during the six-minute walk test at baseline. Because of sample size differences for each outcome, tertile definitions are distinct for each outcome.