Modified ankle-brachial index detects more patients at risk in a Finnish primary health care.

Objectives: Despite peripheral arterial disease (PAD), defined as ankle-brachial index (ABI)
Design: The research was conducted as a prospective cross-sectional study. Finnish health centres and 99 general practitioners were selected and trained for ABI measurement. Consecutive patients were recruited using inclusion criteria: age 50-69 years and one or more cardiovascular risk factors or age >or=70 years or calf pain during exercise. A total of 817 patients were recruited.

Methods: Research methods included interview and Doppler measurement of brachial and ankle pressures.

Results: An ABI(mod)or=1.4 had the strongest association with CVD.

Conclusions: PAD is highly prevalent among patients presenting to primary care. ABI(mod) calculation detects more number of patients at risk at the cost of reduced specificity. The association of high ABI with CVD noted in this study warrants future research for validation.