title: Echolucency of the carotid artery intima-media complex and intima-media thickness have different cardiovascular risk factor relationships: the Women's Interagency HIV Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adults infected with HIV have increased atherosclerosis potentially associated with both HIV and non-HIV associated factors. We characterized risk factors for atherosclerosis as measured by noninvasive vascular imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We used B-mode ultrasound to examine levels and correlates of echogenicity and vessel wall thickness of the carotid artery intima-media complex in 1282 HIV-infected and 510 HIV-uninfected women of the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Levels of gray scale median (GSM, a measure of echogenicity) did not vary between HIV infection groups. In both groups, smokers had increased GSM, whereas age, diabetes, elevated blood pressure, and high BMI were associated with lower (rather than higher) GSM. Each of these non-lipid CVD risk factors, especially age and blood pressure, was also associated with higher levels of carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT). Higher serum triglyceride levels were associated with lower GSM in both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected groups. Additional lipid risk factors for low GSM including high LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol levels were identified in HIV uninfected but not in HIV infected women. In contrast to findings for GSM, among the lipid parameters only LDL cholesterol level had an association with cIMT, which was observed only in the HIV uninfected group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lipid and non-lipid risk factor associations with echolucency of the carotid artery and the thickness of the common carotid artery intima-media layer suggest that these measures capture different aspects of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (M.J., X.X., K.A., R.C.K.).
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (C.M.P., S.J.G.).
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Parrinello
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (M.J., X.X., K.A., R.C.K.).
authors.forename: Xiaonan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (W.J.M., R.H.S., A.M.S., H.N.H.).
authors.forename: Wendy J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (M.J., X.X., K.A., R.C.K.).
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anastos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, NY (J.M.L.).
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (W.J.M., R.H.S., A.M.S., H.N.H.).
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Selzer
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (W.J.M., R.H.S., A.M.S., H.N.H.).
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Shircore
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC (M.P.).
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plankey
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA (P.T.) San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA (P.T.).
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tien
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stroger Hospital and Rush University, Chicago, IL (M.C.).
authors.forename: Mardge
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (C.M.P., S.J.G.).
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Gange
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (W.J.M., R.H.S., A.M.S., H.N.H.).
authors.forename: Howard N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Hodis
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (M.J., X.X., K.A., R.C.K.).
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014930:Women
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL
keywords: carotid arteries; epidemiology; immune system; risk factors; ultrasonics