⚕️💎 The Ankle–Brachial Index (ABI) test is a simple, non-invasive screening method for Peripheral Arterial Disease.
🥼🩺 The procedure is straightforward. Using a blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer) and a Doppler device, we measure the systolic blood pressure in the upper and lower limbs and evaluate the difference between them. When abnormal findings are detected, we can proceed to more specialized tests, such as triplex vascular ultrasound and angiography.
✅️🏃🚬 ABI can be calculated in individuals who present with characteristic symptoms (such as claudication) or who have risk factors for atherosclerosis (high cholesterol, smoking, etc.).
‼️🌐 It is also useful to monitor ABI in patients with Diabetes Mellitus. These patients must be approached holistically; receiving the appropriate pharmaceutical treatment that regulates laboratory values (blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin) is not enough.
⚠️💬 They must also be monitored and examined for a series of complications, such as diabetic neuropathy, diabetic angiopathy, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic nephropathy—factors that significantly affect quality of life and the overall disease course.
💉🩻🫀👁🧑⚕️🫂🤝 Therefore, beyond blood and urine tests, ultrasound of the upper and lower abdomen, and regular evaluations by a Cardiologist and an Ophthalmologist, patients and physicians should also devote some of their valuable time to a thorough clinical examination of the nervous system (sensory assessment) and the circulatory system (ABI, etc.) during office visits.