Lower sensitivity of ankle-brachial index measurements among people suffering with diabetes-associated vascular disorders: A systematic review

Diabetes mellitus is a systemic disease affecting microvascular and macrovascular systems and is considered as the strongest risk factor for peripheral arterial disease. Although the prevalence of the peripheral arterial disease is high among people living with diabetes, its severity is not accurately detected with the prevalent diagnostic methodologies. The ankle-brachial index measurement is a simple, objective, and reliable tool for diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease. However, it is of limited value in the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease among diabetic patients due to its low sensitivity among diabetic individuals. Diabetes mellitus results in atherosclerosis and calcification of peripheral arterial walls leading to false normal ankle-brachial index values. Therefore, healthcare practitioners should be careful not to misinterpret ankle-brachial index results among diabetic patients. A literature search was conducted using the keywords “ankle-brachial index,” “interpretation,” “limitations,” “diabetic foot,” and “peripheral arterial disease” on different medical search engines. The results were manually scanned and then further reviewed to select the articles related to our topic of discussion. This article will review the use of ankle-brachial index measurement among diabetic patients, its limitations and its prognostic value. In Conclusion, Ankle-brachial index can be used for diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease with some precautions (e.g. raising the threshold of diagnosis or using the lowest systolic pressure value measured at the ankle) and can also be a prognostic indicator for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.