Biomarkers · Cardiac & Hemodynamics

Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)

Both low and high values go with higher risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

ABI and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death1.77×high ABI (>1.40) vs normal (0.90-1.40) (95% CI 1.48–2.13) · Strong Heart Study, 4393 American Indians, population-based cohort

ABI by age and sex

Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.

The percentiles as a table

Each row is one sex and age band: the values below which 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% of people fall (ratio), from the survey named in the row. Not a reference range or a target.
Sex	Age	5th	25th	Median	75th	95th	n	Cycle / source
All	40-59	0.96	1.06	1.13	1.19	1.28	3,604	NHANES 1999-2004
All	60+	0.76	0.99	1.08	1.16	1.27	3,960	NHANES 1999-2004
All	all	0.89	1.04	1.11	1.18	1.27	7,564	NHANES 1999-2004
Men	40-59	0.98	1.08	1.15	1.20	1.29	1,838	NHANES 1999-2004
Men	60+	0.75	1.02	1.11	1.19	1.31	2,017	NHANES 1999-2004
Men	all	0.90	1.07	1.14	1.20	1.30	3,855	NHANES 1999-2004
Women	40-59	0.94	1.04	1.10	1.17	1.26	1,766	NHANES 1999-2004
Women	60+	0.78	0.98	1.05	1.13	1.23	1,943	NHANES 1999-2004
Women	all	0.88	1.02	1.09	1.16	1.25	3,709	NHANES 1999-2004

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in ABI, study by study

1 effect with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
pharmacologic	Propionyl-L-carnitine 1-2 g/day (oral or IV) for several months in intermittent claudication	ABI increased by 0.09 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.09) vs placebo	meta-analysis	Kamoen V, Vander Stichele R, Campens L, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021.

What else moves this marker

They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.

Genetic predisposition

Each row is one study: what it compared and the change it reported in this marker.
What	Effect on the marker	Comparison · population	Source
↓ rs10757269 (9p21, near CDKN2B) · per allele, additive model	-0.006 ratio per allele	per copy of rs10757269 risk allele · 21 population-based cohorts of European ancestry, ~60% women, mean ABI 1.02-1.19	gwas · PMID 22199011

Sources

Risk curve: Resnick HE 2004 (PMID 14970108): all-cause HR 1.69 at 0.9 and 1.77 at 1.4 vs 1.15. Quadratic fitted exactly through both published points (nadir 1.1447); category HRs anchored at the cut-points 0.90 and 1.40 vs the reference-range midpoint 1.15 (.
Pande RL, Perlstein TS, Beckman JA, Creager MA. Secondary prevention and mortality in peripheral artery disease: National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, 1999 to 2004. Circulation. 2011;124(1):17-23.
Resnick HE, et al. Relationship of high and low ankle brachial index to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: the Strong Heart Study. Circulation. 2004;109:733-9.

Map Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) against another biomarker.

Map ABI against another marker