Radial and ulnar artery flow characteristics in diabetic, hypertensive and normal indivduals

Objective To compare the radial and ulnar artery flow characteristics in diabetic, hypertensive and normal individuals. Material and methods This case–control study was conducted on 192 participants, with 64 individuals in each group. A consecutive sampling technique was used. For the case group, both male and female participants aged 18–70 years with at least a one-year history of hypertension and/or diabetes were included in the study. For the control group, apparently healthy individuals were recruited. Results Significant differences across hypertensive, diabetic, and healthy control groups were observed for all radial artery Doppler parameters (p < 0.001) in the unadjusted analyses. Hypertensive participants consistently showed the highest mean values for peak systolic velocity (PSV), flow velocity (FV), diameter, pulsatility index (PI), and resistive index (RI), followed by diabetic and healthy participants. For the ulnar artery, significant group differences were observed for flow velocity (FV) and resistive index (RI), whereas peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index (PI), and diameter did not differ significantly. However, after adjustment for age and body mass index (BMI) using multivariable logistic regression, radial artery Doppler parameters were no longer independently associated with disease status, while age and BMI remained significant independent predictors. ROC analysis demonstrated moderate diagnostic performance of radial RI (AUC = 0.708). Conclusion Although significant differences in radial and selected ulnar artery Doppler parameters were observed in the unadjusted analyses, these associations were not independent after adjustment for age and BMI. Peripheral Doppler indices should therefore be interpreted alongside clinical risk factors rather than as independent markers of hypertension or diabetes.