Letter by Protogerou et al Regarding Article, “Mortality and Vascular Morbidity in Older Adults With Asymptomatic Versus Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease”

Abstract

To the Editor: In the study of Diehm et al,1 the prognostic value of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease in symptomatic patients with peripheral arterial disease and asymptomatic subjects with probable peripheral arterial disease (ABI <0.9) was highlighted. There is another important issue to be discussed relative to the physiology of ABI and its prognostic significance. From the point of view of cardiovascular physiology, the difference in systolic blood pressure between 2 arteries (eg, the brachial artery and …