Carotid atherosclerosis in familial hypercholesterolemia.
Common and internal carotids have been studied by noninvasive method (echo-Doppler) in 30 normotensive patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Vascular lesions were detected in 14 patients (46%), who presented one or more lesions of different degree (between 1-15% and 16-49%). In one case, only one carotid had stenosis greater than 50%. Severity and number of stenosis were related to age and levels of hypercholesterolemia. FH patients with carotid lesions showed a significantly higher LDL-cholesterol (p less than 0.01) and plasma apolipoprotein B (p less than 0.001) concentrations and a significantly lower HDL-cholesterol (p less than 0.05) and plasma apolipoprotein A (p less than 0.001) levels as compared to those with normal echo-Doppler findings. These data indicate that investigation of arterial districts other than coronaries are useful in quantitative evaluation of atherosclerotic involvement.
D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006938:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D014463:Ultrasonography
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL