Ankle-brachial pressure index: a simple tool for assessing cardiovascular risk in patients with systemic vasculitis

• Published in: Rheumatology (Oxford, England) Vol. 47; no. 7; pp. 1058 - 1060
• Main Authors: Sangle, S. R., Davies, R. J., Mora, M., Baron, M. A., Hughes, G. R. V., D'Cruz, D. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.07.2008; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adult; Ankle - blood supply; Ankle-brachial pressure index; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic - blood; Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Atherosclerosis - blood; Atherosclerosis - etiology; Atherosclerosis - physiopathology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Pressure; Brachial Artery - physiopathology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - immunology; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Systemic vasculitis; Vasculitis - complications; Vasculitis - immunology; Vasculitis - physiopathology; Ankle-brachial pressure index; Systemic vasculitis; Atherosclerosis; Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; Human; Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody; Rheumatology; Cardiovascular disease; Vascular disease; Ankle; Ankle joint; Vasculitis; Cardiovascular risk; Disseminated
• ISSN: 1462-0324; 1462-0332; 1462-0332
• DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/ken155

Objective. Cardiovascular disease may be increased in patients with systemic vasculitides (SV). The Ankle-Brachial Pressure Index (ABPI) is a non-invasive tool for the assessment of cardiovascular risk (CV). Our aim was to determine the prevalence of an abnormal ABPI in patients with SV and healthy controls and to correlate with clinical and serological parameters. Methods. We studied 54 consecutive vasculitis patients (20 males) attending the vasculitis clinic and 49 healthy subjects. Patients were classified according to the ACR 1990 criteria and the Chapel Hill Consensus definitions. There were 18 patients with Wegener's granulomatosis, eight with Behcet's disease, seven with Churg—Strauss Syndrome, three with Henoch—Schonlein purpura, three with polyarteritis nodosa, three with Takayasu's disease, three with p-ANCA associated vasculitis, three with urticarial vasculitis, two with cutaneous leucocytoclastic angiitis, one with microscopic polyangiitis, one with primary central nervous system angiitis, one giant cell arteritis and one with cutaneous vasculitis secondary to Sjogren's syndrome. Traditional risk factors as well as glucose, lipid profile, CRP, hsCRP, ANCA and aPL were assessed. ABPI was measured according to a consensus statement on the methodology. Results. The ABPI was abnormal in 11/54 (20.4%) of SV patients and 2/49 (4%) of the control group (χ2 with Yates correction = 4.8, P ≤ 0.03). CV events were more prevalent in the SV patients with abnormal ABPI (45.5% vs 11.6%, P ≤ 0.01). Conclusions. There is an increased prevalence of an abnormal ABPI in patients with systemic vasculitides implying an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This simple tool may be clinically useful in identifying systemic vasculitis patients at risk of accelerated atherosclerosis.