Correlation of ankle-brachial index and peripheral artery disease with the status of body fat deposition and metabolic syndrome in asymptomatic premenopausal women.

INTRODUCTION

Asymptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) in symptom-free subjects, and people with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a significant correlate of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about their relationship and whether this is mediated through central obesity as one of the defining components of the MetS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a cross-sectional setting, 150 asymptomatic healthy premenopausal women without previously diagnosed hypertension, diabetes or known history cardiovascular diseases were consecutively enrolled. Ankle-brachial index (ABI), various parameters of general and central body fat distribution, and MetS were assessed.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates for asymptomatic PAD and MetS within the study population were calculated at 6% and 44%, respectively. Following the rigorous adjustment made by the components of MetS and clincial variables of age and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterols (LDL-C), several indicators of general and central body fat distribution, including total, truncal and visceral body fats were found to have significantly positive correlations with log-ABI values. Moreover, log-ABI was significantly and negatively associated with the presence of MetS in both crude and multivariate models of logistic regression analysis, as adjusted by age, LDL-C and several indices of general and central fat deposition (OR [95% CI]: 0.016 [0.001 to 0.424], P value=0.013 in the multivariate adjusted model).

CONCLUSION

ABI had positive and negative associations with central obesity and MetS, respectively. Our findings strongly suggest the inverse correlation between ABI and the MetS is likely not mediated through central obesity as one the key components of MetS.