Abstract

BACKGROUND
The subjects with diabetes mellitus are at high risk for peripheral vascular disease (PVD). The ABI (Ankle-Brachial Index) was done for diagnosis of PVD in diabetes. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the risk factors for diabetes PVD. Most of the risk factors have been found are largely affected by the age and patients nutritional status to some extent. Especially in older diabetes, risk factors cannot be evaluated by numerical values only, for most patients are in background of poor nutritional support. Therefore, in this study, our aim was to evaluate on the influences of the nutritional status as the risk factors for PVD in older patients, ie., 60 years and older. METHODS: We selected 59 patients who are above 60 years old and took neither anti-hypertensive drug nor lipid lowering agents. All subjects ABI was measured by IMEXLAB 9000 and the study group was stratified according to the ABI values: the normal (ABI >10), PVD group (ABI <0.9). The ABI (Ankle-Brachial Index) was measured by The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. If statistically significant effect was found, post hoc analysis (e.g., Newman-Keuls' test) was performed to evaluate the difference between the groups. The values are expressed as the mean+/-standard error (SE). RESULT: There was significant difference in smoking (ABI < 0.9; 0.54+/-0.16 packs/day, ABI > 1.0; 0.35+/-0.08 packs/day), the serum level triglyceride(ABI < 0.9; 1.960.19 mmol/L, ABI > 1.0; 1.56 + 0.21 mmol/L), HDL-cholesterol(ABI < 0.9; 0.88+/-0.11 mmol/L, ABI > 1.0; 1.10+/-0.08 mmol/1) when compared between the normal and ABI decreased subjects(P < 0.05). However, we found no significant differences in systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and LDL-C between the two groups. Serum level of the nutritional factors such as albumin, transferrin, total lympocyte count, folate, zinc were lower than the normal values in both groups. However, these levels were not statistically significant when two groups compared. CONCLUSION: The relationship between the known PVD risk factors and PVD in older diabetes was weak. Therefore, based on the findings from this study, we suggest that when investigators interpretate the risk factors of PVD in elderly patients one must consider nutritional effects along the other factors.

• Keywords: Risk factors;Peripheral vascular disease (PVD);ABI (Ankle to brac- hial index);Nutritional factor;