DOI:
//doi.org/10.22141/2224-0721.15.7.2019.186053Keywords:
diabetes mellitus, ankle-brachial index, diagnosis, peripheral arterial diseaseAbstract
Background. Diabetes mellitus [DM] remains one of the fastest growing and most challenging medical diseases today. The Ankle-Brachial Index [ABI] is the ratio of ankle systolic blood pressure divided by brachial systolic pressure. Generally, ABI has a high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease [PAD]. In DM, ABI measurement is recommended by the American Diabetes Association for all subjects > 50 years old. The prevalence of an abnormal ABI is high in type 2 DM. An ABI ≥ 1.3 is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the general population, as well as with all-cause mortality in DM. The purpose of the study was to assess the potential association of a high ankle-brachial index with diabetes mellitus in a specific Greek population free from peripheral arterial disease. Materials and methods. Between July 2017 and August 2018, people over 30 years old with and without type 2 DM were examined. We included 240 subjects [118 men] with mean age 64.5 ± 14.6 years from Naxos island in Greece who did not have peripheral arterial disease [PAD]. Of these, 144 had DM and 96 did not. DM duration was 10.6 ± 7.4 years. ABI was measured in all subjects. ABI was measured in the supine position after 5–10 minutes of rest, in normal room temperature [25 °C] after patients had taken off their shoes and socks. Results. We grouped ABI measurements into 4 groups: ABI 0.90–1.29; ABI 1.30–1.39; ABI 1.40–1.49; ABI > 1.50. ABI > 1.30 was seen in 44 % of participants with DM vs. 3.1 % of those without DM. There was a significant correlation [p 1.30 had DM duration of 14.2 ± 8.2 years, while those with ABI