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Incident coronary events and case fatality in relation to common carotid intima-media thickness

M Rosvall1, L Janzon, G Berglund

  • 1Department of Community Medicine, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. maria.rosvall@smi.mas.lu.se <maria.rosvall@smi.mas.lu.se>

Journal of Internal Medicine
|April 20, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaque predict future coronary events (CE) independently of cardiovascular risk factors. However, these measures did not correlate with mortality after a CE.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Vascular Biology
  • Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
  • Early detection of atherosclerosis is crucial for primary prevention.
  • Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque are established markers of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), carotid plaque, and incident coronary events (CE).
  • To assess the relationship between these carotid measures and case fatality following CE.
  • To determine if these associations are independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study involving 5163 middle-aged Swedish individuals without prior myocardial infarction or stroke.
  • B-mode ultrasound was used to measure common carotid IMT and identify carotid plaque and stenosis.
  • Follow-up for a median of 7 years to ascertain incident CE and mortality outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Common carotid IMT, carotid plaque, and carotid stenosis were significantly associated with incident CE, even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors.
  • The association between common carotid IMT and CE remained significant, with only a minor reduction after accounting for carotid plaque.
  • No significant associations were found between common carotid IMT, plaque, stenosis, and short-term (28-day) or long-term (5-year) case fatality rates.

Conclusions:

  • Common carotid IMT is an independent predictor of incident coronary events, irrespective of cardiovascular risk factors and the presence of carotid plaque.
  • Carotid atherosclerosis measures (IMT, plaque, stenosis) are not associated with increased mortality risk following a coronary event.
Abstract

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