title: Ankle-brachial index and health-related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data from population studies using ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurement to screen patients for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) demonstrate that most patients with PAD have no symptoms or atypical symptoms besides classical intermittent claudication. We aimed at comparing health-related quality of life and ABI in a cohort of cardiovascular risk persons in a general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  SF-36 questionnaire was completed and ABI measured from 915 individuals aged 45-70 years with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, newly detected diabetes, body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m(2), or a 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease death of 5% or more according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) system. None of the subjects had symptoms of intermittent claudication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of PAD (defined as ABI ≤ 0.90) and borderline PAD (defined as ABI 0.91-1.00) were 5% (95% CI 4-7%) and 20% (95% CI 18-23%), respectively. Patients with PAD had significantly lower quality of life dimension scores for physical functioning, role-physical, general health, and vitality than subjects with normal ABI. Among those with borderline PAD, quality of life was reduced on the general health perception compared to subjects with normal ABI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health-related quality of life of individuals with asymptomatic or atypical PAD or borderline PAD is worse than that of individuals with normal ABI. The level of ABI is independently related to physical functioning.
authors.affiliation: University of Turku, Turku, Finland. paivi.e.korhonen@fimnet.fi
authors.forename: Päivi E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Korhonen
authors.forename: Tellervo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seppälä
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kautiainen
authors.forename: Salme
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Järvenpää
authors.forename: Pertti T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Aarnio
authors.forename: Sirkka-Liisa
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kivelä
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014463:Ultrasonography; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology