Differences of ankle-brachial index according to ischemic stroke subtypes: the peripheral artery disease in Korean patients with ischemic stroke (PIPE) study

Background/aims: Although previous studies showed a high prevalence of abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) in patients with ischemic stroke, few data exist regarding ABI in Asian patients with ischemic stroke. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with abnormal ABI (≤0.9) in a cohort of ischemic stroke patients.

Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, 1,293 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack underwent ABI measurement to evaluate an association between abnormal ABI and vascular risk factors and clinical characteristics. Differences in ABI by stroke subtypes were also assessed.

Results: Abnormal ABI of ≤0.9 was found in 13.0%. Patients with abnormal ABI were more likely to be older and had higher initial stroke severity. The prevalence of abnormal ABI was 18.4% in large artery atherosclerosis, 7% in small artery disease, and 19.2% in cardioembolism (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and large artery atherosclerosis subtype were independent factors associated with abnormal ABI.

Conclusions: These data suggest that the prevalence of abnormal ABI in Korean patients with ischemic stroke was lower than that in Caucasian patients, which might be associated with ethnic differences in underlying stroke subtypes.