Relationship Between Diastolic Dysfunction and Atherosclerosis and Vascular Calcification in Hemodialysis Patients: Diagnostic Potential of the Cardio‐Ankle Vascular Index

Diastolic dysfunction (DD) commonly causes heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (EF). Here, we examine associations between DD severity and atherosclerosis/vascular calcification in hemodialysis patients. Echocardiography was performed on 101 patients undergoing hemodialysis therapy. Twelve patients (EF < 50% or chronic atrial fibrillation) were excluded; DD of the remaining 89 patients was classified into four grades. We then investigated the relationship between their DD grades and the cardio‐ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle‐brachial pressure index (ABI), toe‐brachial pressure index (TBI), and aortic calcification area index (ACAI). Seventy‐seven patients (86.5%) with EF ≥ 50% had DD. Associations with advanced age and comorbid diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease were observed. The CAVI, TBI, and ACAI, but not ABI, increased proportionally with DD grades. Thus, many hemodialysis patients developed DD, with systolic function maintained. Strong associations between DD grades and progression of both atherosclerosis and vascular calcification could be inferred.     

老年冠心病患者踝臂指数与冠状动脉病变SYNTAX积分相关性研究

目的 探讨踝臂指数与冠状动脉病变严重程度的关系,并评价其预测价值。方法 纳入2012年1月至2014年12月在南京医科大学第一附属医院心血管科及老年心血管科行冠状动脉造影,同时接受踝臂指数（ABI）和趾臂指数（TBI）检查的192例老年患者,根据冠状动脉造影结果及SYNTAX积分分为非冠心病组、冠心病低危组、中危组及高危组。分析非冠心病组与冠心病组、冠心病不同亚组间ABI、TBI水平的差异,利用Pearson相关性分析踝臂指数与SYNTAX积分的相关性,并利用ROC曲线分析ABI对预测冠心病的价值。结果 与非冠心病组比较,冠心病组ABI、TBI显著降低（ABI：1.032±0.189 vs 0.954±0.181;TBI：0.775±0.143 vs 0.740±0.176）,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;冠心病组中低危组、中危组及高危组组间ABI、TBI呈降低趋势（ABI：1.004±0.170 vs 0.958±0.184 vs 0.875±0.167;TBI：0.768±0.108 vs 0.753±0.124 vs 0.679±0.179）,组间ABI、TBI比较,差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。高危组ABI、TBI水平明显低于非冠心病组、低危组及中危组,差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;中危组与非冠心病组ABI水平比较,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。Person相关分析显示,ABI与SYNTAX积分呈轻度负相关（rho=-0.443,P＜0.001）。结论 ABI值能较好反映冠脉病变严重程度,ABI数值越低,冠状动脉病变SYNTAX积分越高。     

Medial arterial calcification in the feet of diabetic patients and matched non-diabetic control subjects

Summary The prevalence and distribution of medial arterial calcification was assessed in the feet of four subject groups; 54 neuropathic diabetic patients with previous foot ulceration (U), median age 60.5 (50.5–67 interquartile range) years, duration of diabetes 19.5 (9.9–29.9) years; 40 neuropathic diabetic patients without a foot ulcer history (N), age 68 (62–73) years, duration of diabetes 14.0 (8.0–28.0) years; 43 non-neuropathic diabetic patients (NN), age 60.5 (52–68.5) years, duration of diabetes 14.0 (8.0–28.0) years and 50 non-diabetic control subjects, age 62.5 (53.7–70) years. A single radiologist graded medial arterial calcification as absent, mild or severe, at the ankle, hind-foot, mid-foot, metatarsals and toes on standardised plain lateral and antero-posterior foot radiographs taken by a single radiographer. Diabetes history, vibration perception threshold, ankle systolic pressure and serum creatinine were also assessed. Medial arterial calcification was significantly greater (total score 18 [3–31]) in neuropathic diabetic patients with previous ulceration (U vs N p<0.01, U vs NN p<0.001). Non-neuropathic diabetic patients did not have significantly higher arterial calcification scores than age-matched non-diabetic control subjects. Medial arterial calcification correlated with vibration perception threshold (r=0.35), duration of diabetes (r=0.32) and serum creatinine (r=0.41), (all p<0.01). Logistic regression models showed vibration perception and duration of diabetes to predict the probability of any calcification. Serum creatinine level was added to predict severe calcification. Ordered categorical modelling confirmed that medial arterial calcification was significantly heavier at the ankle than the toes for all groups, odds ratio 4.35 (2.94–6.43, 95% confidence intervals), (p<0.01). Ankle systolic pressure and ankle-brachial pressure index were significantly associated with degree of arterial calcification, r=0.40 and r=0.35, respectively, (both p<0.01) in diabetic patients. However, arterial calcification was present in more than one-third of patients with an ankle-brachial pressure index of less than 1.0. In conclusion, although ankle pressures correlate with the degree of arterial calcification, medial arterial calcification may be present in patients with low ankle systolic pressures, which may be falsely elevated even at normal values. This finding may provide a rationale for the use of toe rather than ankle pressure measurements in diabetic patients, particularly those with peripheral neuropathy, and this hypothesis should be directly tested in future studies.     

不同肥胖类型的中青年原发性高血压患者血压水平及血压控制率与踝臂指数的关系分析

目的:通过回顾性分析原发性高血压患者的相关资料,探讨不同肥胖类型的中青年原发性高血压患者血压水平及血压控制率与踝臂指数的关系 方法:从我院高血压科2013年1月1日-2015年6月1日的已出院患者中随机筛选符合条件的原发性高血压患者320例。记录患者入院时性别、年龄、身高、体重、腰围、吸烟情况、病程、24小时动态血压、踝臂指数、空腹血糖、血脂。采用OMRON BP-203RPEⅢ动脉硬度测定仪测定踝臂指数,美国太空90217型动态血压仪监测患者24小时动态血压,日立（苏州）有限公司生产的型号为 HITACHI 7600-020的生化自动分析仪。先按照体重指数（BMI）分为BMI正常、BMI超重或肥胖两组,再按照腰围分为BMI正常/腰围正常、BMI正常/腹型肥胖、BMI超重或肥胖/腰围正常、BMI超重或肥胖/腹型肥胖四组。这四组样本人群分别使用卡方检验判断ABI正常和ABI降低组血压控制率是否存在差异,使用相关分析和线性回归分析高血压控制组和未控制组收缩压和舒张压分别与ABI是否相关。 结果：在BMI正常的患者中,腹型肥胖患者的空腹血糖（FPG）、甘油三酯（TG）、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）、尿酸（UA）、24小时平均舒张压（24hDBP）高于腰围正常的患者,血压控制率、踝臂指数（ABI）、和高密度脂蛋白（HDL-C）低于腰围正常的患者;在BMI超重或肥胖的患者中,腹型肥胖患者的24小时平均舒张压高于腰围正常的患者,血压控制率低于腰围正常的患者,空腹血糖、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、尿酸、ABI无显著差异;无论BMI是否正常,伴有腹型肥胖的患者中,ABI与血压的控制情况相关,且ABI降低组血压控制率低,而在腰围正常的患者中,差异不显著;在BMI和腰围均正常的患者中,ABI仅与24h平均收缩压（24hSBP）相关;无论BMI是否正常,在存在腹型肥胖的患者中,ABI不仅与24h平均收缩压相关,同时与24h平均舒张压相关;在BMI超重或肥胖但是腰围正常的患者中,ABI与24h平均收缩压或舒张压均不相关。 结论：腹型肥胖的患者舒张压升高明显,更易出现高血脂和高血糖心血管疾病危险因素,ABI降低不仅与收缩压升高相关,也与舒张压升高相关,ABI降低可以反应出腹型肥胖人群的血压控制情况。     

Significance of the combination of inter‐limb blood pressure differences in the elderly: The Northern Shanghai Study

Whether the combination of inter‐arm and inter‐leg systolic blood pressure differences (BPDs) and ankle‐brachial index is of clinical significance remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of the combination of inter‐limb systolic BPDs with cardiovascular risk factors and hypertension‐mediated organ damage (HMOD). A total of 2621 elderly subjects from the Northern Shanghai Study were divided into Group A, B, and C consisting of participants with 0, 1, and ≥2 abnormal inter‐limb systolic BPDs, respectively. Comparisons of cardiovascular risk factors and parameters of cardiac, vascular, and renal damage between groups and logistic regression models were conducted. The proportions of subjects presenting 0, 1, and ≥2 abnormal inter‐limb systolic BPDs were 60.9%, 25.1%, and 14.0%, respectively. Upward trends, from Group A, through Group B, to Group C, were observed for the level or prevalence of nearly all cardiovascular risk factors and HMOD (P for trend ≤0.007 for all). In multiple logistic regression, Group C showed significantly higher odds for carotid plaque (vs Group A: Odds ratio [OR] = 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.43‐2.48; vs Group B: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.08‐1.97), arterial stiffness (vs Group A: OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.96‐1.65; vs Group B: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.01‐1.83), and left ventricular hypertrophy (vs Group A: OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.04‐1.76; vs Group B: OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.93‐1.67), when compared with Group A and B. In conclusion, the combination of abnormal inter‐limb systolic BPDs significantly associates with greater burden of cardiovascular risk factors and higher likelihood for HMOD, especially carotid plaque, arterial stiffness, and left ventricular hypertrophy.     

老年人杓型高血压晨峰现象与轻度认知功能障碍、踝肱指数、尿蛋白/肌酐的相关性分析

目的研究老年人杓型高血压晨峰(morning blood pressure surge,MBPS)现象与轻度认知功能障碍(mild cognitive impairment,MCI)、踝肱指数(ankle brachial index,ABI)、尿微量白蛋白/肌酐(UmAlb/Cr)的关系,探讨老年人杓型高血压MBPS对动脉粥样硬化的影响。方法 458例老年杓型高血压患者,根据动态血压监测结果分为MBPS组及NMBPS组,所有患者均进行简短精神状态量表(mini-mental state examination,MMSE)、ABI、UmAlb/Cr检测,并常规检测血尿素氮(BUN)、肌酐(Cr)、血糖(Glu)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)、三酰甘油(TG)、总胆固醇(TC),分析2组MMSE评分、ABI、UmAlb/Cr的差异。结果 2组患者在性别、年龄、高血压病程、BUN、Cr、Glu、HDL-C、LDL-C、TG、TC比较差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。MBPS组24hSBP、dSBP、nSBP、24hMAP、dMAP、收缩压晨峰变异幅度均高于NMBPS组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05或P0.01)。MBPS组与NMBPS组比较,MMSE评分、ABI显著降低,UmAlb/Cr显著升高,MBPS组MCI发生率、外周动脉血管闭塞性疾病(PAD)发生率、UmAlb/Cr阳性率均高于NMBPS组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.01)。Pearson相关分析显示,MBPS与MCI、ABI、UmAlb/Cr呈中度相关,与年龄呈低相关,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05或P0.01)。结论老年人杓型高血压MBPS是导致MCI、PAD以及早期肾损害的重要危险因素,对动脉粥样硬化产生重要影响。     

健康人群脉搏波传导速度与踝臂指数影响因素的研究

目的探讨健康人群脉搏波传导速度（pulse wave velocity，PWV）、踝臂指数的影响因素。方法用全自动动脉硬化测定仪测定PWV与踝臂指数855例，分为5个年龄组，了解年龄、血压、体质量指数等临床指标与PWV和踝臂指数的相关性。结果①男性PWV和踝臂指数比女性高（P〈0．01）；②PWV与踝臂指数随年龄增加而逐渐增加（P〈0．01）：③多元线性相关表明：年龄、收缩压、平均动脉压、舒张压、脉压、体质量指数、心率与PWV相关（P〈0．01）；年龄、体质量指数、脉压、平均动脉压、收缩压、舒张压，与踝臂指数相关（P〈0．01），心率与踝臂指数相关无统计学意义。结论①男性PWV和踝臂指数高于女性，随年龄增加而增加：②年龄、脉压、平均动脉压、收缩压、舒张压和体质量指数与PWV和踝臂指数呈正相关。     

Haemostatic and rheological factors in intermittent claudication: the influence of smoking and extent of arterial disease

Patients with intermittent claudication have been reported to have disturbances in blood rheology and haemostasis. Whether these disturbances are a result of, or largely independent of, smoking history and arterial narrowing has not yet been established. The levels of whole blood and plasma viscosity, haematocrit, von Willebrand factor antigen, fibrin D-dimer antigen and urinary fibrinopeptide A antigen were compared in 617 claudicants and 722 controls from two epidemiological studies in Edinburgh. After adjustment for age and sex, all factors, except whole blood viscosity and haematocrit, were significantly higher in the claudicants compared to controls ( P ≤0.001). The risk of intermittent claudication was significantly raised for unit change in each factor, except for whole blood viscosity and haematocrit. Adjustment for lifetime smoking had little effect on the odds ratios. After further adjustment for the ankle brachial pressure index (as a measure of the extent of peripheral arterial disease), haematocrit, von Willebrand factor and urinary fibrinopeptide A showed a significant independent relationship with the risk of intermittent claudication. We conclude that the association between selected rheological and haemostatic factors and leg ischaemia is largely independent of both smoking history and the extent of arterial narrowing, and may be directly related to microvascular ischaemia.     

Haemostatic and rheological factors in intermittent claudication: the influence of smoking and extent of arterial disease

Patients with intermittent claudication have been reported to have disturbances in blood rheology and haemostasis. Whether these disturbances are a result of, or largely independent of, smoking history and arterial narrowing has not yet been established. The levels of whole blood and plasma viscosity, haematocrit, von Willebrand factor antigen, fibrin D-dimer antigen and urinary fibrinopeptide A antigen were compared in 617 claudicants and 722 controls from two epidemiological studies in Edinburgh. After adjustment for age and sex, all factors, except whole blood viscosity and haematocrit, were significantly higher in the claudicants compared to controls (P≤0.001). The risk of intermittent claudication was significantly raised for unit change in each factor, except for whole blood viscosity and haematocrit. Adjustment for lifetime smoking had little effect on the odds ratios. After further adjustment for the ankle brachial pressure index (as a measure of the extent of peripheral arterial disease), haematocrit, von Willebrand factor and urinary fibrinopeptide A showed a significant independent relationship with the risk of intermittent claudication. We conclude that the association between selected rheological and haemostatic factors and leg ischaemia is largely independent of both smoking history and the extent of arterial narrowing, and may be directly related to microvascular ischaemia.     

Ankle brachial index as a predictor of cognitive impairment in the general population: ten-year follow-up of the Edinburgh Artery Study

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the ankle brachial index (ABI, a marker of generalized atherosclerosis) is associated with cognitive impairment after 10 years in older people. DESIGN: Cohort study (Edinburgh Artery Study). SETTING: Eleven general practices in Edinburgh, Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred seventeen men and women aged 55 to 74 from the general population, followed for 10 years. MEASUREMENTS: ABI measured at baseline and major cognitive functions (including premorbid function using the National Adult Reading Test, NART) tested after 10 years. RESULTS: After adjustment for age and sex, a low ABI was associated with lower scoring (bottom tertile vs top tertile) on Raven's Matrices (odds ratio (OR)=1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.0-2.6), Verbal Fluency (OR =1.8, 95% CI =1.1-3.0), and Digit Symbol Test (OR =2.3, 95% CI =1.3-4.2), suggesting that the ABI is predictive of poorer performance in nonverbal reasoning, verbal fluency, and information processing speed. The association between ABI and the Digit Symbol Test remained significant after further adjustment for premorbid cognitive function (tested using the NART), suggesting that the ABI is also predictive of decline in information processing speed (from premorbid ability to that measured here in older age). CONCLUSION: The ABI may be useful in identifying older individuals at higher risk of cognitive impairment. In the future, preventive measures developed to target individuals with a low ABI should consider measures to reduce vascular-related cognitive decline as well as cardiovascular events, in an effort to reduce the incidence and consequences of subsequent cognitive impairment and dementia.     

Evaluation of a new screening method for detecting peripheral arterial disease in a primary health care population of patients with diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: To compare the ability to detect peripheral arterial disease between the traditional ankle Doppler technique for measuring ankle blood pressure and a new pulse oximetric method for measuring systolic toe pressure, in an unselected primary health care population with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: The total population with the diagnosis diabetes mellitus in two primary health care districts was studied. The population was investigated by means of pulse palpation, ankle Doppler pressure, systolic toe pressure using a pulse oximetric method, arm blood pressures, neuropathy screening and laboratory tests. RESULTS: A total of 126 patients were included in the study. In these patients, 250 extremities were investigated. Systolic ankle Doppler pressure and ankle/arm pressure indices were found to be significantly higher than the pressures and indices achieved with the pulse oximetric method (158 +/- 44 vs. 117 +/- 33 mmHg, P < 0.0001, and 1.02 +/- 0.24 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.22, P < 0.0001). Thirty-one extremities with a systolic toe pressure < 80 mmHg were found. Twenty-one of these lacked a palpable pulse in the dorsal pedial or posterior tibial artery. The pulse oximetric method gave significantly more pathological indices (Doppler index < or = 0.8, pulse oximeter index < or = 0.6) (Doppler 36/250, pulse oximeter 58/250, P = 0.003). However, the Doppler method gave significantly more indices above 1.3 compared with the pulse oximetric method (33/250 vs. 2/250, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that ankle Doppler pressure measurements overestimate peripheral arterial pressure in a typical primary health care population. In the screening situation, this new pulse oximetric toe pressure method seems to be valuable since it can be performed in out-patient clinics and handle large numbers of patients in a short time and avoid the problem of media sclerosis.     

高血压与外周动脉疾病患病关系的横断面研究

目的探讨北京市年龄≥35岁人群高血压与外周动脉疾病(PAD)的关系。方法 2013年7月至2014年12月采用分层多阶段随机抽样的方法对北京四个区县年龄≥35岁居民进行上臂血压及踝臂血压测量,共检测5 126人。结果高血压组PAD的患病率明显高于无高血压组(6.5%比3.1%,P<0.05)。Logistic回归分析结果显示,在校正年龄、性别、体质量指数(BMI)、吸烟、糖尿病、血脂代谢异常以及降压药物的使用后,与正常血压人群相比,正常高值、1级高血压、2级高血压、3级高血压其患PAD的OR(95%CI)分别为1.38(0.87~2.19)、1.68(1.04~2.73)、2.10(1.18~3.73)、5.08(2.57~10.08)。将收缩压设定为连续变量分析,结果显示收缩压每升高10 mm Hg,PAD患病风险增加19%(OR=1.19,95%CI 1.09~1.30);收缩压为120~139、140~159、≥160 mm Hg组患PAD的风险分别为收缩压<120 mm Hg组的1.29(95%CI 0.83~2.01)、1.61(95%CI 1.01~2.60)、2.75(95%CI 1.65~4.60);趋势检验P<0.001;而PAD患病风险与舒张压则关系不明显。在高血压患者中,高血压未治疗组、治疗后未达标组、治疗达标组的PAD患病风险分别为无高血压组的1.45(0.98~2.14)、1.93(1.34~2.78)、1.23(0.83~1.82)。结论高血压可增加PAD患病风险,收缩压升高为PAD的独立危险因素;控制高血压患者升高的血压可以控制PAD患病的风险。     

Association of Ankle Brachial Index with Clinical Outcomes Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Aortic Aneurysm

Objective Since patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA)/abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are often complicated with coronary artery disease, it is common for those patients to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The ankle brachial index (ABI) is usually measured in patients with TAA/AAA to screen the presence of peripheral arterial disease. The present study investigated the association between the ABI and clinical outcomes following PCI in patients with TAA/AAA. Methods We divided 200 TAA/AAA patients who underwent PCI into a normal ABI group (n=137) and an abnormal ABI group (n=63) according to the ABI cut-off level of 1.00. The primary endpoint was one-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, non-fetal myocardial infarction, stroke, target vessel revascularization, and hospitalization for heart failure. Results Mean ABIs in the normal and abnormal ABI groups were 1.12±0.09 and 0.86±0.11, respectively (p<0.01). Kaplan-Meier curves showed MACE were more frequent in the abnormal ABI group than in the normal ABI group (p=0.01). A multivariate Cox hazard analysis revealed that an abnormal ABI was significantly associated with 1-year MACE (vs. ABI ≥1.0: HR 3.02, 95% confidence interval 1.00-9.08, p=0.049). Conclusion Among patients with TAA/AAA who underwent PCI, abnormal ABI was significantly associated with 1-year MACE, suggesting the utility of the ABI measurement in this high-risk population.     

The ankle brachial index and change in lower extremity functioning over time: the Women's Health and Aging Study

OBJECTIVES: To define the association between baseline ankle brachial index (ABI) level and subsequent onset of severe disability. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Baltimore community. PARTICIPANTS: Eight hundred forty-seven disabled women aged 65 and older participating in the Women's Health and Aging Study. MEASUREMENTS: At baseline, participants underwent measurement of ABI and lower extremity functioning. Measures of lower extremity functioning included patient's report of their ability to walk one-quarter of a mile, number of city blocks walked last week, number of stair flights climbed last week, and performance-based measures including walking speed over 4 meters, five repeated chair stands, and a summary performance score. Functioning was remeasured every 6 months for 3 years. Definitions of severe disability were developed a priori, and participants who met these definitions at baseline were excluded from subsequent analyses. RESULTS: Participants with an ABI of less than 0.60 at baseline had significantly higher cumulative probabilities of developing severe disability than participants with a baseline ABI of 0.90 to 1.50 for walking-specific outcomes (ability to walk a quarter of a mile, number of city blocks walked last week, and walking velocity) but not for the remaining functional outcomes. In age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards analyses, hazard ratios for participants with a baseline ABI of less than 0.60 were 1.63 for becoming unable to walk a quarter of a mile (P = .044), 2.00 for developing severe disability in the number of blocks walked last week (P = .004), and 1.61 for developing severe disability in walking speed (P = .041), compared with participants with a baseline ABI of 0.90 to 1.50. Adjusting for age, race, baseline performance, and comorbidities, an ABI of less than 0.60 remained associated with becoming severely disabled in the number of blocks walked last week (hazard ratio = 1.97, P = .009) and nearly significantly associated with becoming unable to walk a quarter of a mile (hazard ratio = 1.54, P = .09). In fully adjusted random effects models, a baseline ABI of less than 0.60 was associated with significantly greater decline in walking speed per year (P = .019) and nearly significantly greater decline in number of blocks walked last week per year (P = .053) compared with a baseline ABI of 0.90 to 1.50. CONCLUSION: In community-dwelling disabled older women, a low ABI is associated with a greater incidence of severe disability in walking-specific but not other lower extremity functional outcomes, compared with persons with a normal ABI over 3 years.