Why diabetics should have their Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) checked regularly

Nowadays we are all pretty well acquainted with diabetes in this or that way. Everybody has a friend, grandparent or even a child who has diabetes. In fact WHO claims the total number of people with diabetes is projected to rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030 (World Health Organization).

Apart from the well-known inconveniences caused by diabetes itself it can have even more serious consequences. Similarly as other risk factors for Peripheral Arterial Disease – hypertension and smoking, diabetes strongly contributes to the development of this disease. Numerous studies have shown the correlation between diabetes and PAD and assessed that overall, intermittent claudication itself (a symptom of PAD that show as leg pain) is about twice as common among diabetics patients than among non-diabetic patients.

According to TASC II study, the important fact here is that diabetes increases the risk of PAD approximately three to four-fold.

In fact in patients with diabetes, for every 1% increase in hemoglobin there is a corresponding 26% increased risk of PAD.

It is therefore crucial that all diabetic patients older than 50 have their Ankle-Brachial Indexes measured every time they visit their doctor for a regular diabetes checkup. The conventional ABI measurement could be a drawback for many doctors since it takes about 30 minutes to perform and is highly subjective due to human error. This is where ABPI MD comes in very handy. With MESI Ankle-Brachial Index Measuring Device the diagnosis of PAD can be done in just 3 minutes. This allows the doctor to screen all his or her diabetics without wasting too much time.

Check out how a doctor can save 27 minutes per ABI measurement: