Abstract
Among 206 workers at three companies with abnormal findings for either blood pressure, blood lipid, or blood glucose, carotid ultrasonography revealed intima-media thickening in the common carotid artery (max IMT≥1.1mm) in 8% at age 30-49 years and in 30% at age 50-59 years. The respective prevalence of thickening in the internal carotid artery (max IMT≥1.5mm) was 10% and 39%. The mean of max IMT and the proportion of IMT thickening increased with increases in the number of risk factors. Carotid ultrasonography is thus feasible for health care in middle-aged workers.
In 112 workers with hypercholesterolemia, who had a serum total cholesterol level of 220-279 mg/dl in one clerical company, the proportion of ‘mild’ or ‘moderate’ carotid atherosclerosis was 20%. As a consequence of having carried out health guidance at the same time as carotid ultrasonography, the proportion of workers who had continued several action plans for health behavior improvement every six months was 80%. Simultaneous carotid ultrasonography and health guidance was considered to be more effective for health behavior improvement than health guidance alone.
