Background: Two-dimension ultrasonography permits to noninvasively quantify extracoronary atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to assess preclinical atherosclerosis of the extracranial carotid arteries in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.
Methods: Lipid and nonlipid cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated in 206 patients with dyslipidemia (127 men and 79 women, mean age 49 years, range 18-75), and a multifactorial cardiovascular risk profile was constructed for each patient. Ultrasound measurements of the intima-media thickness in the common carotid artery of each side were taken, and the number and height of any atheroma plaques present were quantified.
Results: Asymptomatic plaques were found in 120 patients (58%), and were more frequent in men than in women (65 vs 47%, p = 0.009), and in patients with than in those without prior coronary heart disease (80 vs 50%, p < 0.001). Both intimal thickening, indicative of early atherosclerosis, and the extent of arterial wall involvement with plaques, which represents an advanced stage of the disease, increased significantly with age and with increasing multifactorial cardiovascular risk, reflecting a positive relation between signs of atherosclerosis and the burden of risk factors. Intima-media thickness also increased with increasing plaque score, indicating the generalization of atherosclerosis.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of preclinical carotid atherosclerosis confirms the atherogenic risk of primary dyslipidemias. The relation between carotid lesions and both coronary heart disease and multifactorial risk supports the validity of arterial ultrasound studies for cardiovascular risk prediction.