title: [Ankle-brachial index screening for peripheral artery disease in high cardiovascular risk patients. Prospective observational study of 370 asymptomatic patients at high cardiovascular risk].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peripheral arterial disease is a marker of systemic atherosclerosis; it is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease by measuring the ankle-brachial pressure index in patients at high cardiovascular risk and to study the risk factors associated with this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive and analytic cross-sectional study which focused on 370 patients seen at the medical consultation for atherosclerosis prevention. The ankle-brachial index was measured with a portable Doppler (BIDOP 3) using 4 and 8Hz dual frequency probes. The standards were: normal ankle-brachial index 0.9 to 1.3; peripheral artery obstructive disease ankle-brachial index less than 0.9; poorly compressible artery (medial arterial calcification) ankle-brachial index greater than 1.3. Cardiovascular risk factors were also studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and seventy subjects (mean age 65.5±8.7years) were screened Cardiovascular risk factors were: sedentary lifestyle (91.5 %), hypertension (68.1 %), elevated LDL-cholesterolemia (36.3 %), diabetes (48.3 %) and tobacco smoking (33.8 %). The prevalence of peripheral artery disease was 32.4 % of which 77.5 % were asymptomatic. We found a significant correlation with smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia and the presence of coronary artery disease or vascular cerebral disease. Screening for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with the ankle-brachial index has increased the percentage of polyvascular patients from 6.2 to 29 %. Factors independently associated with PAD were advanced age, presence of cardiovascular disease, smoking and glycated hemoglobin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PAD is a common condition in people at high cardiovascular risk, the frequency of asymptomatic forms justifies the screening with pocket Doppler which is a simple, inexpensive and effective test to assess the overall cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc. Electronic address: chadinerada@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rada
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oummou
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Merzouk
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Amarir
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boussabnia
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bougrini
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benzaroual
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elkarimi
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie et maladies vasculaires, faculté de médecine, CHU Mohammed VI, Assif 53, 40080 Marrakech, Maroc.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elhattaoui
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL
keywords: Ankle-brachial index; Artériopathie oblitérante des membres inférieurs; Index de pression systolique; Peripheral artery disease