Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis
Abstract —Atherosclerosis begins early in life and is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular morbidity and death. Yet, population-based information on age and sex differences in the extent and morphology of atherosclerosis throughout life is scarce. Carotid atherosclerosis can be visualized wi...
Published in: | Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology |
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Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
1999
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.atv.19.12.3007 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.ATV.19.12.3007 |
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crovidcr:10.1161/01.atv.19.12.3007 2024-09-15T18:39:28+00:00 Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis The Tromsø Study Joakimsen, Oddmund Bønaa, Kaare H. Stensland-Bugge, Eva Jacobsen, Bjarne Koster 1999 http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.atv.19.12.3007 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.ATV.19.12.3007 en eng Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology volume 19, issue 12, page 3007-3013 ISSN 1079-5642 1524-4636 journal-article 1999 crovidcr https://doi.org/10.1161/01.atv.19.12.3007 2024-09-02T04:19:45Z Abstract —Atherosclerosis begins early in life and is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular morbidity and death. Yet, population-based information on age and sex differences in the extent and morphology of atherosclerosis throughout life is scarce. Carotid atherosclerosis can be visualized with B-mode ultrasound and is a marker of atherosclerosis elsewhere in the circulation. We assessed both the prevalence and the morphology of carotid atherosclerosis by B-mode ultrasound in 3016 men and 3404 women, 25 to 84 years old, who participated in a population health survey. The participation rate was 88%. Plaque morphology was graded according to whether a plaque was predominantly soft (echolucent) or hard (echogenic). Atherosclerotic plaques were found in 55.4% of the men and 45.8% of the women. In men, there was a linear increase with age in the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis, whereas in women, there was a curvilinear age trend, with an inflection in the prevalence rate of women at ≈50 years of age. The male predominance in atherosclerosis declined after the age of 50 years, the plaque prevalence being similar in elderly men and women. Men had softer plaques than women; this sex difference in plaque morphology increased significantly ( P =0.005) with age. The sex difference in the prevalence of atherosclerosis and the female age trend in atherosclerosis show significant changes at the age of ≈50 years, suggesting an adverse effect of menopause on atherosclerosis. The higher proportion of soft plaques in men compared with women increases with age and may partly account for the prevailing male excess risk of coronary heart disease in the elderly despite a similar prevalence of atherosclerosis in elderly men and women. Article in Journal/Newspaper Tromsø Ovid Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 19 12 3007 3013 |
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Abstract —Atherosclerosis begins early in life and is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular morbidity and death. Yet, population-based information on age and sex differences in the extent and morphology of atherosclerosis throughout life is scarce. Carotid atherosclerosis can be visualized with B-mode ultrasound and is a marker of atherosclerosis elsewhere in the circulation. We assessed both the prevalence and the morphology of carotid atherosclerosis by B-mode ultrasound in 3016 men and 3404 women, 25 to 84 years old, who participated in a population health survey. The participation rate was 88%. Plaque morphology was graded according to whether a plaque was predominantly soft (echolucent) or hard (echogenic). Atherosclerotic plaques were found in 55.4% of the men and 45.8% of the women. In men, there was a linear increase with age in the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis, whereas in women, there was a curvilinear age trend, with an inflection in the prevalence rate of women at ≈50 years of age. The male predominance in atherosclerosis declined after the age of 50 years, the plaque prevalence being similar in elderly men and women. Men had softer plaques than women; this sex difference in plaque morphology increased significantly ( P =0.005) with age. The sex difference in the prevalence of atherosclerosis and the female age trend in atherosclerosis show significant changes at the age of ≈50 years, suggesting an adverse effect of menopause on atherosclerosis. The higher proportion of soft plaques in men compared with women increases with age and may partly account for the prevailing male excess risk of coronary heart disease in the elderly despite a similar prevalence of atherosclerosis in elderly men and women. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Joakimsen, Oddmund Bønaa, Kaare H. Stensland-Bugge, Eva Jacobsen, Bjarne Koster |
spellingShingle |
Joakimsen, Oddmund Bønaa, Kaare H. Stensland-Bugge, Eva Jacobsen, Bjarne Koster Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis |
author_facet |
Joakimsen, Oddmund Bønaa, Kaare H. Stensland-Bugge, Eva Jacobsen, Bjarne Koster |
author_sort |
Joakimsen, Oddmund |
title |
Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis |
title_short |
Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis |
title_full |
Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis |
title_fullStr |
Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Age and Sex Differences in the Distribution and Ultrasound Morphology of Carotid Atherosclerosis |
title_sort |
age and sex differences in the distribution and ultrasound morphology of carotid atherosclerosis |
publisher |
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) |
publishDate |
1999 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.atv.19.12.3007 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.ATV.19.12.3007 |
genre |
Tromsø |
genre_facet |
Tromsø |
op_source |
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology volume 19, issue 12, page 3007-3013 ISSN 1079-5642 1524-4636 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1161/01.atv.19.12.3007 |
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Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology |
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19 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
3007 |
op_container_end_page |
3013 |
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1810483836999434240 |