title: Prevalence and correlates of carotid atherosclerosis among elderly Japanese men.
abstract: We determined intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter of carotid artery and estimated their correlations with cardiovascular risk factors in 1129 men aged 60-74 years, who participated in a cardiovascular risk survey in three Japanese communities. The multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for the maximum IMT > or = 1.1 mm in the common carotid artery (CCA) were 1.3 (1.1-1.5) per 4 years of age, 1.8 (1.4-2.5) for hypertension, 1.4 (1.2-1.7) for a 34.4 mg/dl increase in serum total cholesterol, 0.7 (0.6-0.8) for a 14.7 mg/dl increase in serum HDL-cholesterol, and 2.4 (1.1-5.0) for history of stroke, while the maximum IMT > or = 1.5mm in the internal carotid artery (ICA) were 1.6 (1.4-1.8) per 4 years of age, 1.9 (1.5-2.4) for hypertension, 1.6 (1.2-2.1) for current smoking, and 3.5 (1.6-7.6) for history of stroke. Age, height, hypertension, current smoking, ethanol intake and history of coronary heart disease were independent determinants of both the outer and inner CCA diameter. Maximum IMT correlated positively with the outer diameter and inversely with the inner diameter in the CCA. Carotid atherosclerosis suggests to be a risk factor for stroke among Japanese elderly men, although future prospective studies are required to confirm this finding.
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical Center for Health Science and Promotion, 1-3-2 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0025, Japan. xkita@kenkoukagaku.jp
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imano
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL