title: Echogenicity of the carotid intima-media complex and cardiovascular risk factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) has been associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. A measure of echogenicity, the grey scale median (GSM), has been shown to be inversely correlated with cardiovascular risk factors and to be predictive of mortality in a community-based cohort. We assessed the factors associated with carotid IM-GSM in younger, non-diabetic patients with a recent MI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 122 patients (women, 25%) aged 31-80 years (61) were recruited 2-3 days after an acute MI. Ultrasound examinations of the carotid arteries were performed 1-12 months after the MI. IMT was 0·78 (SD 0·17) mm on the right side and 0·81 (0·20) mm on the left side (P = 0·05). GSM was 88·60 (range 46-132, SD 18·32) on the right side and 82·10 (40-126, 17·89) on the left side (P = 0·002). Triglycerides (TG) correlated with GSM on both sides (right, r = -0·27, P = 0·003; left, r = -0·18, P = 0·05). On the right side, GSM was 92·15 and 82·26 (P = 0·05) in patients with TG < and ≥1·7, and on the left side, it was 84·04 and 74·55 (P = 0·02) in patients with TG < and ≥2·3. On multivariate analysis, TG were significantly associated with GSM, both on the right side (P = 0·01) and on the left side (P = 0·009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a negative association between TG and carotid IM-GSM on both sides in patients with a recent MI. Our results also suggest that atherosclerosis progression may be faster on the left side in patients with coronary heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Affilié Universitaire de Québec, Québec, Canada. jonathan.deblois@med.ulaval.ca
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Blois
authors.forename: Einar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stranden
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jogestrand
authors.forename: Loghman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Henareh
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agewall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014280:Triglycerides