KUMJ | VOL. 23 | NO. 3 | ISSUE 91 | JULY-SEPTEMBER, 2025

Sensitivity and Specificity of Ankle Brachial Index for Diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease in Diabetic Patients Presenting to University Hospital of Nepal
Karmacharya RM, Vaidya S, Yadav B, Sharma S, Bhatt S, Bhandari N, Bhandari S, Maharjan S, Bhusal J

Abstract:
Background Diabetes is a significant risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) that increases morbidity and mortality. Hence, early detection of peripheral arterial disease is necessary. Evidence shows Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) as a promising test to diagnose peripheral arterial disease. However, sensitivity and specificity need to be evaluated before clinical use. Objective To determine Ankle Brachial Index sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic patients. Method Diabetic patients were recruited from Dhulikhel Hospital. Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) was done in all the recruited participants and peripheral arterial disease was assessed. Based on Jager’s criteria, those with grade III and IV stenosis were diagnosed as peripheral arterial disease and underwent ankle brachial index. Ankle brachial indexscores below 0.9 and above 1.5 were considered abnormal. The diagnosis by ankle brachial index was matched against the gold standard doppler ultrasonography to determine its specificity and sensitivity. Descriptive statistics and independent t-tests were used for statistics. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result There were total of 237 diabetic patients of which 31.2% had peripheral arterial disease. We found high sensitivity and specificity of ankle brachial index when tested against doppler ultrasonography with the values ranging from 88.68-89.66% and 86.67-90% respectively. Conclusion Ankle brachial index can be used in clinical settings to diagnose peripheral arterial disease in individuals with diabetes mellitus.
Keyword : Ankle brachial index, Diabetes, Peripheral arterial disease, Sensitivity, Specificity