The impact of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on the incidence of cardiovascular events and complications in peripheral arterial disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Table 5 Subgroup analysis: omega-3 PUFA and pain-free walking distance

Subgroup	No. of trials	Total patients in cohort		Effect estimate (95% CI)	I ²
Subgroup	No. of trials	Omega-3 PUFA	Control	Effect estimate (95% CI)	I ²
*Effect of Intervention Duration on PFWD*
Less than 6 months (Gans 1990 [37])	1	16	16	MD, -31.00 (-74.34, 12.34)	NE
6 months or longer (Leng 1998 [34], Carrero 2005 [35], Carrero 2006 [36])	3	79	72	MD, 172.98 (-0.82, 346.77)	80%
*Effect of Omega-3 PUFA Dose on PFWD*
More than 0.3 g/day (Gans 1990 [37])	1	16	16	MD, -31.00 (-74.34, 12.34)	NE
Less than or equal to 0.3 g/day (Leng 1998 [34], Carrero 2005 [36], Carrero 2006 [37])	3	79	72	MD, 172.98 (-0.82, 346.77)	80%
*Effect of Omega-3 PUFA Type on PFWD*
EPA + DHA + ALA (Carrero 2005 [35], Carrero 2006 [36])	2	40	36	MD, 260.33 (160.05, 360.60)	0%
EPA + DHA (Gans 1990 [37])	1	16	16	MD, -31.00 (-74.34, 12.34)	NE
EPA (Leng 1998 [34])	1	39	36	MD, 10.00 (-109.07, 129.07)	NE

ALA, alpha-linolenic acid; CI, confidence intervals; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; MD, mean difference; PFWD, pain-free walking distance; I ², I-squared.

ISSN: 1471-2261