title: The effect of age and risk factors on coronary and carotid artery atherosclerotic burden in males-Results of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased arterial intima-media thickness (IMT) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) are measures of subclinical arteriosclerosis burden. Little is known, however, whether risk factors have an impact differently on atherosclerosis in these distinct vascular territories in the same individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 1620 men without coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke, aged 45-75 years (59+/-8), IMT was measured 1cm proximal to the bulb in the common carotid artery (CCA). Both sides were measured and the average of the right and left artery were applied. Electron-beam CT was used to quantify coronary artery calcium (CAC). Cardiovascular risk factors were measured with standard techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IMT increased with age from 0.64+/-0.12mm in the lowest decade (45-54 years) up to 0.76+/-0.14mm in the highest decade (65-74 years) (p<0.0001). CAC and IMT showed a significant correlation across the cohort. Individual variation in the extent of IMT and CAC was, however, high (r=0.26, p<0.0001). Standard risk factors had a similar impact on IMT and CAC relative to 5 years of ageing, except for diabetes and HDL, which had a higher impact on IMT than on CAC. The effect of diabetes mellitus on IMT exceeded the effect of 5 years of ageing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IMT may be more sensitive to the atherosclerotic impact of diabetes than CAC, while blood pressure showed a higher effect on CAC. Thus, cardiovascular risk factors seem to have a different atherosclerotic impact on carotid arteries compared with coronary arteries.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiology, West-German Heart Center, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany. marcus.bauer@uk-essen.de
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Möhlenkamp
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmermund
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Roggenbuck
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moebus
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stang
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jöckel
authors.forename: Raimund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erbel
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011859:Radiography; D012307:Risk Factors; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology