Phase angle associated is with low ankle-brachial index in type 2 diabetes patients in Ghana

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with high burden of atherosclerotic macrovascular disease which could be diagnosed with ankle-brachial index (ABI). Phase angle (PhA) from bioelectric impedance analysis is associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the association between low ABI and phase angle in T2DM patients in Ghana. Method: In a cross-sectional study, 462 T2DM patients were systematically recruited for the study. ABI was measured using an 8 Hz continuous Doppler and ABI≤0.9 was considered to be low ABI. PhA was obtained from resistance and reactance from Bioelectric impedance analysis. Results: The prevalence of low ABI was 16 % in the study population. T2DM patients with low ABI have decreased PhA (7.5 ± 1.9 vs 8.3 ± 2.2 units, p = 0.004) compared to those with normal ABI. An increase in phase angle by 1° was associated with a decrease in odds of having low ABI in unadjusted [OR (95 % CI) = 0.79 (0.48 – 0.95), p = 0.007] and adjusted models [0.88 (0.43 – 0.98), p = 0.036]. Conclusion: The prevalence of low ABI in T2DM patients in this study was 16 %. Also, PhA was lower in patients with low ABI compared to those with normal ABI.