Noninvasive study of arterial hypertension and carotid atherosclerosis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Neurology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Atherosclerosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a significant cause of stroke.
• Noninvasive assessment of ICA disease in hypertensive patients is crucial for risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and severity of ICA atherosclerotic lesions in asymptomatic, nonobese, nondiabetic hypertensive patients.
• To evaluate the progression of ICA disease and its association with clinical outcomes over a 3-year period.
• To identify predictors of disease progression and cardiovascular events in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

• Noninvasive evaluation of internal carotid artery atherosclerosis using imaging techniques.
• Longitudinal follow-up of a subgroup of patients for disease progression and cardiovascular events.
• Correlation analysis between disease severity/progression and clinical parameters (age, hypertension duration, cholesterol, smoking).

Main Results:

• Internal carotid artery disease was found in 43% of patients (63/146).
• Disease severity correlated with age but not with hypertension duration, cholesterol, or smoking.
• Over 3 years, 21.5% of patients showed lesion progression, unrelated to initial risk factors or ICA status. New neurologic symptoms occurred in 4%, and cardiac ischemia in 6%.

Conclusions:

• Hypertension is associated with a high prevalence of internal carotid artery atherosclerosis.
• Disease progression is common and unpredictable in this population.
• These findings support the development of targeted prevention strategies for atherosclerotic complications in hypertensive individuals.