The Effect of Exercise Training on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism in Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

The Effect of Exercise Training on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism in Peripheral Artery Disease

Specific Aim 1: To test the hypothesis that subjects with PAD and intermittent claudication have altered expression of genes that regulate skeletal muscle metabolism.

Specific Aim 2: To test the hypothesis that exercise training improves calf skeletal muscle insulin resistance and genes that regulate skeletal muscle metabolic function in PAD patients with intermittent claudication.

Inclusion Criteria:

• claudication symptoms
• ABI ≤ 0.9 in the symptomatic leg

Exclusion Criteria:

• diabetes
• impaired fasting glucose
• peripheral vascular intervention within the prior six months
• recent unstable angina
• myocardial infarction or stroke within the prior six months
• changes to their HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin)within the past three months
• changes to pentoxifylline and/or cilostazol regimen within the past three months or anticipated to be necessary during the study
• are on Coumadin
• exercise limitations for reasons other than intermittent claudication (such as congestive heart failure, angina, chronic lung disease, or other disorders affecting the limb such as arthritis or neuropathy)
• rest pain or ulcers due to critical limb ischemia
• lower extremity amputation