title: The risk factors associated with ultrasonic tissue characterization of carotid plaque in type 2 diabetic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the related factors of plaque echogenicity in diabetic subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a single-center, retrospective, study investigating a subgroup of patients of a previously published trial. We enrolled 179 middle-aged and older Japanese type 2 diabetic patients with carotid plaque, and examined the parameters related with echogenicity of carotid plaque evaluated by gray-scale median (GSM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proportion of males and body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher and HDL-cholesterol was significantly lower in the patients with low GSM (< 48) plaques (n = 89) as compared to those without it (n = 90). A multiple logistic regression analysis with gender, BMI, and HDL-cholesterol as independent variables and the presence of low GSM plaques as an objective variable showed that male (odds ratio (OR) 2.36, 95%CI 1.05-5.31, p = 0.037) and BMI (OR 1.12 [1.01-1.24], p = 0.029) were independently associated with low GSM plaques. Another multiple logistic regression analysis with gender, BMI, and low-HDL-cholesterolemia (HDL-C < 40 mg/dl) as independent variables showed that low-HDL-cholesterolemia (OR 2.30 [1.03-5.13], p = 0.042) and BMI (OR 1.11 [1.00-1.22], p = 0.046) were independently associated with low GSM plaques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that gender, BMI and low-HDL-cholesterol are important determinants of the content of the vascular wall in diabetic subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Irie
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine; Department of Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine. Electronic address: katakami@endmet.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaneto
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahara
authors.affiliation: Osaka Police Hospital.
authors.forename: Ken'ya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.affiliation: Osaka Police Hospital.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kosugi
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Iichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shimomura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL
keywords: Carotid arteries; Carotid ultrasound; Diabetes mellitus; Plaque echogenicity; Plaque thickness