Lower functional capacity is associated with higher cardiovascular risk in Brazilian patients with intermittent claudication

• Patients with intermittent claudication classified as having mild and moderate, and severe cardiovascular risk seemed to have similar functional capacity.
• Total and pain-free distances performed in the 6-minute walk test were weakly, but significantly, associated with cardiovascular risk score among all participants.
• Pain-free distances correlated with cardiovascular risk among women, and total distances correlated with cardiovascular risk among men.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between cardiovascular risk estimated by the Framingham Risk Score and functional capacity in patients with peripheral artery disease using a 6-minute walk test. Fifty-six participants with intermittent claudication were recruited. The Framingham Risk Score was calculated and used to split the participants into two groups: Group A (mild and moderate risk) and group B (severe risk). The ankle-brachial index (ABI) was calculated for each leg using a handheld Doppler probe. Walking ability was verified by a 6-minute walk test. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample's demographic and clinical characteristics. To compare clinical data between the two groups, a t test or Mann-Whitney test was used as appropriate according to the type of variable being analyzed. The Pearson coefficient was used to verify the association between cardiovascular risk and functional capacity. Group A had 19 participants (60.5 ± 6.3 years; 36.8% male) and group B had 37 participants (63.4 ± 8.7 years; 73% male). No differences were observed when comparing the ABI between both groups. The total distances covered by the men in group A were shorter compared with those of group B (331.4 + 51.5 vs 257.9 + 84.0; P = .02). The cardiovascular risk score was negative and was significantly correlated with total distances for men (r = −0.53; P = .001) and with pain-free distances for women (r = −0.46; P = .03). Functional capacity, evaluated through a 6-minute walk test, seems to be associated with 10-year total mortality risk.