An evaluation of ankle–brachial blood pressure index in adult Nigerians with sickle cell anaemia

AIM: There are few studies to be found in the literature on ankle–brachial index in sickle cell disease. The aim of this study was to compare ankle–brachial index of steady-state adult sickle cell anaemia patients with that of normal controls. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 62 sickle cell anaemia patients and 62 age- and gender-matched normal controls was carried out in the adult outpatient sickle cell clinics and the cardiac centre of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, Nigeria from February to August 2007. The supine brachial and ankle blood pressures were measured separately with the cuff of the mercury sphygmomanometer applied to the right arm and right calf, respectively. RESULTS: The ankle systolic blood pressure was lower in patients with sickle cell anaemia than in the controls (p < 0.001). The mean indices for ankle–brachial index were 0.88 ± 0.09 and 1.03 ± 0.06, respectively for patients and controls. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Seventy three per cent of the patients had ankle–brachial index less than 0.9 compared with controls (5%). This was also significant (p < 0.001).