Abstract
Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis in people of both genders who underwent general health screening.
Results Of 8144 enrolled subjects (5473 men,2671 women),29.4% of the men and 16.5% of women, and 14.9% of the men and 9.2% of the women had carotid plaque and intima-media thickening, respectively, and the prevalence of both increased with age in both genders. The male-to-female rations for the prevalence of carotid plaque and intima-media thickening peaked at 41-45 years (8.62) and 46-50 years (5.72), respectively. The gender gap for these values declined thereafter, and the male-to-female ratios for the prevalence of carotid plaque and intima-media thickening was 1.29 and 0.93 at age ≥76 years. Conclusion A gender gap in terms of the prevalence of carotid plaque and intima-media thickening is present in mid-life, and thereafter the deference declines in the Japanese population.
