title: [Prevalence of peripheral artery disease evaluated by ankle brachial index in patients with metabolic syndrome. MERITO I study].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with Metabolic Syndrome have high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rate above that expected when using accepted scales for risk stratification. Ankle brachial index (ABI) is an available, straightforward and reproducible method for the detection of peripheral vascular disease and for improving risk stratification in this population. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of low ABI in patients with metabolic syndrome older than 50 years and to study the risk factors associated with its development.
  
  
  METHODS
  1519 subjects between 50 and 85 years, 935 of them with metabolic syndrome (Adult Treatment Panel III [ATP III] criteria), in primary prevention, without symptoms of intermittent claudication and who gave their consent to have an ABI measurement in internal medicine offices were included in the study. Cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated in all participants. An ABI < 0.9 was considered low.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of a low ABI in subjects with metabolic syndrome was 27.7 (95% CI: 24.8-30.5). Factors associated with low and a pathological ABI were age, higher serum creatinine levels and presence of proteinuria. After multivariate adjustment, only age (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.09) and active tobacco use (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.10-1.92) continued to be significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of a low ABI is elevated in subjects with metabolic syndrome without known cardiovascular disease and related with age and active tobacco use.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, C/Diego de León 62, 28006 Madrid, Spain. csuarez.hlpr@salud.madrid.org
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suárez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manzano
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mostaza
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cairols
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diodado
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Comas
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Marco
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000842:Ankle; D001132:Arm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors