Thickness of Carotid Arteries Intima and Media and Coronary Risk Factors
The coronary and carotid arterial beds are affected early in the process of atherosclerosis. Morphologic changes of arterial walls can be easily detected using B-mode ultrasound method. This technique enables the evaluation of the degree of atherogenesis regarding specific coronary risk factors, and can be used in research concerning the connections between carotid artery atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Our research involved male individuals, aged 30–50, divided into two groups as follows. One including patients with a history of myocardial infarction and the second consisting of asymptomatic individuals. All the participants had assessments of blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides, t-PA, PAI, fibrinogen, serum iron and transferrin levels. The thickness of intima-media coplex was measured in the common carotid arteries, in the area of bifurcation and in the proximal part of internal carotid arteries using B-mode ultrasound. The results indicated that among the coronary risk factors investigated in the study, previous history of coronary disease had the greatest effect on the carotid vessel wall thickness. Other factors that showed significant correlation with carotid intima-media thickness included diastolic blood pressure, HDL-choleterol levels and activity of t-PA and PAI. Our results showed that HDL-cholesterol, hypertension and fibrinolytic parameters represent important risk factors for the development of atherosclerotic lesions in the carotid vascular bed. This study also presumes significant associations between atherosclerosis of coronary and carotid arteries. Therefore the carotid artery wall thickness can be an important predictor of the development of coronary artery disease.