Korean Circ J.  2005 Nov;35(11):834-840. 10.4070/kcj.2005.35.11.834.

Risk Factors and Predictors for the Progression of Carotid Atherosclerotic Stenosis in Korean Adults

• Cho DK
• Kwon SU
• Kim SW
• Park JI
• Lim SH
• Lim SJ
• Choi YJ
• Sung J
• Lee SH
• Hong KP
• Park JE
• Kim DI
• Kim YW
• Choi YH

• KMID: 2297962
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2005.35.11.834

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The goals of this study were to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of carotid atherosclerotic stenosis and also the predictors for the progression of carotid atheroslcerotic stenosis in Korean adults.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Carotid ultrasonography was performed for 22,782 adults who volunteered for a routine health check-up. Carotid atheroslcerotic stenosis was defined as a finding of at least one lesion of an intima-media thickness greater than 1.2 mm with atherosclerotic plaque. Among the 22,782 people, 4,077 persons underwent follow-up carotid ultrasonography at an average interval of 27.6 months. The past medical history and information on the cardiovascular risk factors were obtained from standardized questionnaires and the subjects' blood chemistry.
RESULTS
Carotid atheroslcerotic stenosis was detected in 1,875 adults (8.2%) and it was significantly associated with a history of stroke, hypertension, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, higher HbA1C, older age, a wider pulse pressure, lower HDL-cholesterol and a large amount of smoking (p<0.05). In the subjects without history of stroke (22,444 persons), those with more than 5 risk factors showed a higher prevalence (36.8%) of carotid atherosclerotic stenosis than those with a history of stroke (29.0%). The independent predictors of stenosis progression were older age, male gender, hypertension, a large amount of smoking, a high LDL cholesterol level, a low HDL-cholesterol level and a high fibrinogen level (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Carotid ultrasonographic screening for a population with these risk factors will lead to a more efficient screening process and our identification of the predictors of disease progression may help to design therapeutic trials for preventing the progression of carotid atherosclerotic stenosis.

Keyword

Carotid artery disease; Ultrasonography; Risk factors; Disease progression

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Blood Pressure
Carotid Artery Diseases
Chemistry
Cholesterol, LDL
Constriction, Pathologic*
Disease Progression
Fibrinogen
Follow-Up Studies
Heart Diseases
Humans
Hyperlipidemias
Hypertension
Male
Mass Screening
Plaque, Atherosclerotic
Prevalence
Risk Factors*
Smoke
Smoking
Stroke
Ultrasonography
Surveys and Questionnaires
Cholesterol, LDL
Fibrinogen
Smoke