Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2013 , Vol 16, Issue 2
IS ANKLE BRACHIAL INDEX AND FRAMINGHAM RISK SCORE A PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN PEOPLE AGED ≥50 YEARS?
Hasan Hüseyin ÇELİK, Ruhuşen KUTLU, Selma ÇİVİ
Konya Üniversitesi Meram Tıp Fakültesi, Aile Hekimliği Anabilim Dalı KONYA Introduction: Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) has been shown to be a strong predictor of the extent and severity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We aimed to determine the early risk estimation of CVD by using ABI and Framingham risk score (FRS) in this study.

Materials and Method: In this study, 250 people aged ≥50 years were included. We calculated FRS of the participants using an automatic calculator. We calculated ABI by using the blood pressure data of the four extremities.

Results: The mean value of ABI was 1.13±0.12 (min=0.80, max=1.96). Of the participants, nine (3.6%) had low ABI (≤0.95). There were significant negative correlations between ABI and age, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure and FRS. In the people aged ≥60 years, ABI risk increase (≤0.95) was found to be 3.878 times greater compared with people aged <60 years. Among diabetics, the value for FRS1 was found to be 16.349 times greater compared to non-diabetics.

Conclusion: The prevalences of the main risk factors of CVD are quite high in the population. Screening the individuals aged 50 or more is necessary for the early diagnosis and management of main risk factors of CVD. Low ABI (≤0.95) and FRS can be used to estimate the risk of future cardiovascular events. Keywords : Ankle Brachial Index; Cardiovascular Diseases/Epidemiology; Risk Factors