J Korean Soc Hypertens.  2010 Sep;16(3):14-21.

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Arterial Stiffness in Hypertensive Patients with First Attack of Ischemic Stroke

• Sohn IS
• Lee JB
• Cho BH
• Park JH
• Jin ES
• Cho JM
• Kim CJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND
It has been reported that arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) are independent predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality in hypertensive patients. The primary aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical significance of carotid IMT and PWV in hypertensive patients with first attack of ischemic stroke (IS).
METHODS
The study group consisted of 104 hypertensive patients with first attack of IS and 172 hypertensive controls without stroke. Carotid IMT was measured at distal common carotid artery. The Fukuda vascular profile VS-1000TM was used to determine the brachial-ankle PWV(baPWV).
RESULTS
The stroke patients were older age, had higher blood pressure, more diabetes and more current smokers than the controls. The carotid IMT was significantly increased in IS than in control subjects (0.71+/-0.14 vs 0.62+/-0.13mm, p<0.001). IS group had more carotid plaques than controls. BaPWV was significantly higher in IS than in control group (17.0+/-2.9 vs 14.5+/-2.2 m/sec, p<0.001). IS group had increased left ventricular mass and left atrial size. On the multivariate analysis, carotid IMT, age, and smoking were identified as independent predictive factors of IS. Conclusions: Carotid IMT, age, and smoking were associated with IS in hypertensive patients. Carotid IMT, but not the PWV, might be helpful to predict and risk evaluation for future stroke in hypertensive patients.

Keyword

Arterial stiffness; Carotid intima-media thickness; Stroke; Hypertension

MeSH Terms

Blood Pressure
Carotid Artery, Common
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Humans
Hypertension
Multivariate Analysis
Pulse Wave Analysis
Smoke
Smoking
Stroke
Vascular Stiffness
Smoke