Relation Between Aortic Valve Sclerosis and Ankle-Brachial Index in Participants Clinically Free of Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

Most patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are asymptomatic and have similar vascular morbidity and mortality with patients with symptomatic PAD. Despite being a very highly prevalent disease, physicians underdiagnose and undertreat PAD. A total of 100 participants with aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) and 100 participants without AVS and age-, gender-, and cardiovascular risk factor-matched participants were enrolled. Ankle-brachial index (ABI) and AVS were evaluated by handheld Doppler device and echocardiography, respectively. There was significantly lower ABI in participants with AVS compared with those without AVS (1.04 +/- 0.14 v 1.11 +/- 0.07, P = .001). There was a negative correlation between ABI and AVS (r = -.29, P < .001). Linear regression analysis demonstrated an independent association between ABI and AVS (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.91 to -0.27, P < .001) and -blocker use (95% CI: -0.96 to -0.02, P: .04). Our findings confirm an association between AVS and PAD that may be attributed to shared vascular risk factors.