[Quality of life in patients with lower extremity atherosclerosis during standard treatment and therapeutic angiogenesis].

AIM: To compare the impact of standard conservative treatment (SCT) and its combination with therapeutic angiogenesis for 3 to 5 years on quality of life in patients with Stage II (according to the classification developed by A.V. Pokrovsky-Fontaine) lower extremity atherosclerosis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 92 patients (69 men and 23 women) (mean age 65.2±7.7 years) were examined and divided into 2 groups of 46 people each. Only SCT (statins at an individually adjusted dose, antiaggregants, and graded exercise walking 3 to 5 km daily were used in Group 1; while Group 2 received SCT in combination with double injection of a plasmid-based VEGF165 gene drug (1.2 mg) into the ischemic limb muscles. The Russian version of the standard SF-36 questionnaire was applied; pain-free walking distances were measured before treatment and then every year; limb preservation and survival rates were determined in the patients.

RESULTS: It was determined that standard treatment did not significantly affect patients' quality of life throughout the follow-up period. Addition of gene therapy leads to a significant improvement in both physical (p=0.00001) and psychological (p=0.00002) health components just in the first year of the follow-up. This is achieved through a significant (500%) increase in the average leg pain-free walking distance; p=0.007).

CONCLUSION: The obtained result is consistently high throughout the subsequent period. There was no statistically significant difference in survival rates between the groups; limb preservation remained comparable.