title: [Association of carotid atherosclerosis and blood pressure variation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship of carotid artery plaque and blood pressure variation and cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of in-patients treated in the department of hypertension between April 2009 and June 2010. Information on carotid ultrasonography and other clinical date were obtained from 408 patients. All patients were monitored by ambulatory blood pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Carotid artery determined in plaque was 55.3%, there was no differences between men and women. However, the carotid artery plague was associated positively with age. Increased age was associated with a significantly increased positive rate. (2) Cardiovascular risk factors and carotid artery plaque: carotid artery plaque was associated with duration of disease, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. (3) 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and carotid artery plaque: the prevalence of carotid artery plaque increased with increasing coefficient of systolic variation (P = 0.001). There was no correlation between the coefficient of diastolic variation and the prevalence (P = 0.644).(4) Multivariate regression analysis indicated that carotid artery plaque was associated with duration of hypertension, 24 h mean systolic blood pressure, and coefficient of variation of 24 h blood pressure (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carotid atherosclerosis is independently associated with coefficient of variation of blood pressure, especially with coefficient of variation of systolic blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hypertension, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Ao-Ya
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhen-Qiu
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wen-Hua
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors