The Carotid Artery Plaque Size and Echogenicity are Related to Different Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Elderly

Carotid plaques can be characterised by ultrasound by size and echogenicity. Both size and echogenicity are predictors of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to examine whether traditional risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidation were associated with plaque size and echoge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Lipids
Main Authors: Andersson, J., Sundstrom, J., Kurland, L., Gustavsson, Tomas, Hulthe, Johannes, Elmgren, A., Zilmer, K., Zilmer, M., Lind, L.
Language:unknown
Published: 2009
Subjects:
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems
Carotid artery
Atherosclerosis
men
coronary-heart-disease
density-lipoprotein cholesterol
independent predictor
prevalence
tromso
seniors pivus
Oxidation
Plaque
general-population
Ultrasound
Risk factor
count
leukocyte
uppsala
Lipids
Tromso
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-009-3281-y
https://research.chalmers.se/en/publication/114165
Description
Summary:Carotid plaques can be characterised by ultrasound by size and echogenicity. Both size and echogenicity are predictors of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to examine whether traditional risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidation were associated with plaque size and echogenicity. Computerised analysis of carotid plaque size and echogenicity (grey scale median, GSM) were performed by ultrasound in a population-based health survey in 1,016 subjects aged 70 years (PIVUS study). Information on cardiovascular risk factors was collected, together with markers of inflammation and oxidation. Increased Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, higher BMI and decreased HDL, lower glutathione levels were related to echolucent plaques. Previous or present smoking was common with significantly more pack-years related to the echorich plaques. Plaque size was associated with increased Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose levels, smoking, ApoB/A1 ratio, OxLDL, TNF alpha, HOMA insulin resistance, leucocyte count, decreased BCD-LDL and low levels of l-selectin. Low HDL, increased BMI and decreased glutathione levels were associated with the echolucency of carotid plaques, implying metabolic factors to play a role for plaque composition. Markers of inflammation were related to plaque size alone, implying inflammation to be predominantly associated with the amount of atherosclerosis. These results suggest that plaque size and echogenicity are influenced by different risk factors.

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