Prevalence of Subclinical Peripheral Vascular Disease in Obese Egyptian Patients

OBJECTIVE: To detect subclinical peripheral vascular disease in obese Egyptian patients and establish relations between obesity, metabolic risk factors, and PVD. METHODS: This was a prospective case-control study including 100 obese patients (BMI >30) (G1). In addition, 100 age and sex matched non-obese healthy subjects as a control group (G2). Both groups were subjected to duplex ultrasound, Radionuclide muscle scan. Angiography was done for 17 patients. RESULTS: The image pattern of 99mTc-MIBI muscles uptake was studied and perfusion reserve (PR%) was calculated in (G1) and (G2). Comparison between the two groups showed statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) as regarding laboratory findings. Patients were categorized according to PR% into (+)ve for ischemia (mean PR% was 28.4 ± 20.3) and (-)ve for ischemia (mean PR% was 65.0 ± 11.4). Among (G1) 64 patients positive for ischemia by both PR% and Doppler, 36 patients were negative by Doppler and 22 of them were positive for ischemia by PR%. Angiography was done for 17 of them and proved ischemia in all of them. CONCLUSION: The Tc-99m sestamibi muscle scan can be used as a screening and diagnostic tool of preclinical atherosclerosis in obese patients.