title: Risk factors for the progression of early carotid atherosclerosis in a male working population.
abstract: Increased intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery may represent early atherosclerosis. Although several studies have evaluated risk factors for carotid IMT, only limited information is available concerning risk factors for the progression of carotid IMT. The present study was designed to determine risk factors for the progression of carotid IMT in a male working population. Male employees of a regional transport company (n = 220, 50.9 +/- 4.4 years) underwent baseline physical and laboratory examinations, and ultrasonographic assessment of the maximum common carotid IMT between 1992 and 1994, and they were reexamined 5 years later. In a multivariate analysis at baseline, carotid IMT was positively associated with age, diastolic blood pressure and total cholesterol, and negatively with high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. During the follow-up period, carotid IMT increased from 0.669 +/- 0.135 mm to 0.784 +/- 0.229 mm, or at a rate of 0.023 +/- 0.039 mm/year. In a multivariate regression analysis using baseline values of carotid IMT, age, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and HbA1c as independent variables, the progression of carotid IMT was associated only with baseline total cholesterol. These findings suggest that in middle-aged men, although age, blood pressure, and total cholesterol were associated with baseline carotid IMT, total cholesterol level appeared to be the strongest determinant of the progression of carotid IMT, a result which underscores the importance of maintaining lower cholesterol levels to prevent early atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. fujii@intmed2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohya
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Hisatomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaki
authors.forename: Mototaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshinari
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002784:Cholesterol; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin