[Relationship between low ankle-brachial index and mortality of men with several atherosclerotic risk factors: a cohort study of 1941 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between ankle-brachial index (ABI) and all cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in men with several atherosclerotic risk factors.

METHODS: 1941 male patients with no less than two atherosclerotic risk factors, aged 67 (36 approximately 96), from 20 hospitals in Shanghai and Beijing, underwent examination of ABI and were followed up for 13.6 +/- 1.3 months to record the all cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

RESULTS: The baseline examination showed that 467 patients were with the ABI 0.9 (7.7% and 1.8%, both P < 0.01). After adjusting other risk factors, the patients with 0.41 < ABI
CONCLUSION: Low ABI is an independent risk factor to all cause mortality and CVD mortality, especially to CVD mortality.