Abstract
Objective The aim of this study was to assess the significance of multiple risk factors for early carotid atherosclerosis in the Japanese population.
Methods The relation between traditional vascular risk factors and serum high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) or atherosclerotic lesions in the carotid arteries detected by B-mode ultrasonography was evaluated.
Patients The subjects were 1,880 persons (1,240 men and 640 women, mean age 55+/-10 years old) without ischemic stroke, infection or collagen diseases.
Results In the men, the odds ratio (OR) for atherosclerotic lesion was increased at 1.90 (95% CI: 1.05-3.43, P=0.032) in those with one risk factor, 2.42 (1.36-4.32, P=0.002) in those with two, and 2.95 (1.69-5.16, P<0.001) in those with three or more. In the women, the OR was similarly increased 1.93 (95% CI: 1.04-3.56, P=0.035) for one risk factor, 2.31 (1.23-4.33, P=0.009) for two, and 3.52 (1.80-6.87, P<0.001) for three or more. The mean hs-CRP concentration increased significantly with the increasing number of risk factors (men and women, P<0.001) and with the degree of carotid arterial stenosis (men, P=0.011; women, P=0.008).
Conclusion Multiple risk factors are more predictive than a single risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis in the Japanese population.
