title: [Characterisation of factors associated with carotid stenosis in a population at high risk].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moderate to severe stenosis is the less prevalent among the forms of carotid atherosclerotic disease), but it carries a high risk of ischaemic stroke.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterise factors associated with moderate to severe carotid stenosis in a high-risk population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed an analysis on traditional risk factors associated with carotid stenosis ≥50% in 533 patients who received Doppler ultrasound due to a history of stroke (34%) or who had = 2 of the risk factors: age ≥55 years (86%), hypertension (65%), dyslipidemia (52%), obesity (42%), diabetes (40%) or smoking (40%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of carotid stenosis ≥50% was 7.1%, symptomatic (associated with stroke in congruent territory) in 5.6%, bilateral in 2.1% and bilateral symptomatic in 1.5%. A 36.8% of patients had moderate to severe load (≥4) of atherosclerotic plaques (25.9% moderate: 4-6 plaques, and 10.9% severe: ≥7 plaques). By multivariate analysis we identified the age ≥75 years, dyslipidemia, and smoking as factors independently associated with carotid stenosis ≥50%, and hypertension and smoking with symptomatic stenosis. The number of risk factors was strongly associated with the prevalence of carotid stenosis. Notably, neither diabetes nor obesity explained the degree of moderate to severe carotid stenosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As forms of carotid atherosclerotic disease, moderate to severe stenosis is less frequent than a high burden of atherosclerotic plaques. Advanced age, smoking, dyslipidemia and hypertension are the main traditional risk factors associated with the degree of carotid stenosis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran, Tlalpan, Mexico.
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiquete
authors.forename: Benjamín
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Torres-Octavo
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cano-Nigenda
authors.forename: Deyanira
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valle-Rojas
authors.forename: Rogelio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dominguez-Moreno
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tolosa-Tort
authors.forename: José Alejandro
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Florez-Cardona
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Flores-Silva
authors.forename: Isael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Reyes-Melo
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Higuera-Calleja
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garcia-Ramos
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cantu-Brito
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; D055815:Young Adult