Study of Ankle–Brachial Index among the Patients of Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a group of conditions that are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Ankle–brachial index (ABI) is a noninvasive, inexpensive way of assessing the blood flow in the lower limbs and may be useful as an indirect marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. Aim and Objective: To study and compare ABI values between patients with MetS and patients without MetS. Materials and Methods: A total of 98 patients attending the outpatient department between October 2018 and September 2020 were included in the study. They were categorized as MetS and non-MetS as per the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. They were tested for ABI with a handheld Doppler. The ABI values were compared between the two groups. Results: Among 98 patients, 49 were cases and 49 as controls. ABI values were found to be 1.09 ± 0.12 among the cases and 1.22 ± 0.05 among the controls and were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The patients with MetS had lower ABI compared with the patients who did not have MetS. ABI can be used as an indirect marker of atherosclerosis and can be used in routine clinical assessment for identifying patients at a higher cardiovascular risk.