The association between urinary albumin excretion and ankle-brachial index in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective To investigate the association between urinary albumin(Alb) excretion and ankle-brachial index(ABI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). Methods Serum levels of TG,TC,LDL-C,HDL-C and ABI,24-h Alb,24-h Pro were tested in 280 T2DM cases. Peripheral arterial disease(PAD) was diagnosed by ABI≤0.9. Albuminuria was divided into normoalbuminuria (30.0 mg/24 h),microalbuminuria (30.0-299.9 mg/24 h) and macroalbuminuria(≥300.0 mg/24 h).Results The percentage of PAD in T2DM with microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria was obviously more than that with normoalbuminuria (P0.01). Compared with patients of ABI0.9,T2DM cases with PAD were elder age,lower ABI,longer duration,higher 24-h urine Alb and Pro.ABI was negatively correlated with 24-h Alb (r=-0.22,P0.01).ConclusionMicroalbuminuria or macroalbuminuria is significantly correlated with ABI,indicating that abnormal ABI is not only a marker of PAD but also nephropathy,and may be taken as a marker for PAD in T2DM.