Exercise and Weight Loss in PAD



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Peripheral Vascular Disease
Therapuetic Areas:Cardiology / Vascular Diseases
Healthy:No
Age Range:60 - 80
Updated:12/8/2018
Start Date:October 1, 2015
End Date:April 1, 2021
Contact:Eric Christensen, MS
Email:echristensen@medicine.umaryland.edu
Phone:(410) 605-7000

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Exercise and Weight Loss to Improve Mobility Function in Veterans With PAD

This study is designed to examine the added benefits of weight loss to an exercise program in
older obese Veterans with peripheral arterial disease. The investigators want to determine if
weight loss in addition to exercise will 1) improve walking ability to a greater extent than
exercise alone and 2) determine the underlying reasons why walking ability improves by
measuring blood flow and the amount of muscle in the leg muscles.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects an estimated 12 -15 million adults in the US and an
estimated 20% of older Veterans. Those with PAD ambulate with slow gait and experience
decreased leg strength, dysmobility, reduced quality of life, serious morbidity and often
premature death. It is estimated that over 60% of individuals with PAD are overweight or
obese. While PAD itself worsens mobility, obesity adds a further functional burden to older
adults with PAD. Individuals diagnosed with PAD, who are also obese typically claudicate 40%
more quickly than non-obese individuals and take 20% longer to recover after claudication.
Studies of older obese adults without PAD have demonstrated that the combination of exercise
and weight loss is more effective at improving physical function and body composition than
exercise alone. While these findings likely translate to older adults with PAD, this
hypothesis has yet to be tested. This study is designed to determine whether weight loss and
exercise (WL+EX) versus exercise ( EX ) alone will 1) improve mobility function (walking
ability) to a greater extent than exercise alone and 2) determine the mechanisms underlying
changes in mobility function by measuring muscle microvascular perfusion and composition. The
investigators hypothesize that a combined intervention of weight loss and exercise (aerobic
and restive) will result in greater improvements in mobility function through improved muscle
perfusion and reduced muscle fat infiltration than exercise alone in obese Veterans with PAD.

Inclusion Criteria:

- BMI >30 kg/m2

- ABI <.90

- Able to participate in a supervised exercise program at the Baltimore VA

- No current plan for surgical revascularization

- Claudication or leg symptoms when walking

Exclusion Criteria:

- Unstable angina or a recent heart attack

- Active cancer

- Dementia

- Current foot or leg ulcers

- Already exercise 2x/week or more.
We found this trial at
1
site
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Principal Investigator: Odessa R. Addison, DPT PhD
Phone: 410-605-7000
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