J Korean Med Sci.  2005 Jun;20(3):373-378. 10.3346/jkms.2005.20.3.373.

Distribution of the Ankle-Brachial Index and Associated Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Population of Middle-Aged and Elderly Koreans

• Kweon SS
• Shin MH
• Park KS
• Nam HS
• Jeong SK
• Ryu SY
• Chung EK
• Choi JS

• KMID: 1778492
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2005.20.3.373

Abstract

The Doppler ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) is an objective and efficient tool that can be used to determine the presence and severity of peripheral arterial disease in the lower extremities. The ABI value is inversely associated with other cardiovascular risk factors. To date, there have been no studies of the distribution of ABI in Korea. We performed a cross-sectional study of 1,943 subjects (681 men and 1,262 women; 45-74 yr old) in Namwon, Korea. The prevalence of a low ABI (<0.90) was 2.2% in men and 1.8% in women, and a high ABI (>or=1.30) was prevalent in 3.1% of men and 0.8% of women. Age, smoking habits, waist circumference, hypertension, and blood pressure were associated with ABI values in both sexes. The presence of carotid plaques was associated with ABI values only in men, whereas pulse pressure was associated with ABI values only in women (p<0.05). Although the prevalence of a low ABI in the present study was lower than those reported previously for Western populations and Japanese men, our results suggest that the ABI might be used as an indicator of cardiovascular risk factors in adult Koreans.

Keyword

Peripheral Vascular Diseases; Prevalence; Ankle-brachial Index; Risk Factors

MeSH Terms

Aged
Analysis of Variance
Ankle/*blood supply
Blood Flow Velocity
Blood Pressure
Brachial Artery/*physiology
Cardiovascular Diseases/blood/etiology/*physiopathology
Cholesterol/blood
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications
Female
Humans
Hypertension/complications
Korea
Lipoproteins, HDL Cholesterol/blood
Male
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Triglycerides/blood

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The distribution of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) values for men (black bars) and women (white bars).

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