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Common carotid artery diameter and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese postmenopausal women

Kelly D Lloyd1, Emma Barinas-Mitchell, Lewis H Kuller

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, 660 W. Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.

International Journal of Vascular Medicine
|September 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Former hormone therapy (HT) users showed larger common carotid artery diameters, indicating poorer vascular health compared to current users. Arterial diameter is a key indicator of vascular health in postmenopausal women.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Vascular Biology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Arterial diameter is an underutilized indicator of vascular health.
  • Common carotid artery (CCA) diameter, including interadventitial and lumen diameter, may offer superior insights into vascular health compared to carotid plaque or intima-media thickness (IMT).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between hormone therapy (HT) use and CCA diameter in overweight or obese, postmenopausal women.
  • To determine if CCA diameter is a better indicator of vascular health than IMT or plaque in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study involving 491 overweight or obese, postmenopausal women (52-62 years) with waist circumference >80 cm.
  • Evaluation of CCA interadventitial diameter, lumen diameter, IMT, and plaque presence.
  • Analysis of associations between cardiovascular risk factors, HT status, and carotid measures.

Main Results:

  • Former HT users exhibited significantly larger adventitial (6.94 mm vs. 6.79 mm) and lumen diameters (5.44 mm vs. 5.31 mm) compared to current HT users (P < 0.01).
  • These differences in CCA diameter were independent of cardiovascular risk factors, weight, and pulse pressure.
  • No significant differences in IMT or carotid plaque were observed between former and current HT users.

Conclusions:

  • Larger carotid artery diameters in overweight/obese postmenopausal women are associated with former HT use, higher pulse pressure, and greater weight.
  • CCA diameter may serve as a more sensitive marker of vascular health changes related to HT use than IMT or plaque.
  • Carotid diameter warrants consideration in future studies investigating the long-term vascular effects of HT.

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