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Carotid Plaques and Hypertension as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-Aged

Vilma Dženkevičiūtė1, Tadas Adomavičius1, Gabrielė Tarutytė2

  • 1Clinic of Internal and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania.

Journal of Clinical Medicine
|May 25, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Hypertension and carotid plaque presence did not significantly increase cardiovascular disease risk together. Cardiovascular events are more dependent on the extent of carotid artery atherosclerosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Medicine
  • Preventive Cardiology

Background:

  • Hypertension and carotid atherosclerosis are independent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
  • Investigating their combined impact on CVD events and mortality is crucial for risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the synergistic effects of hypertension and carotid plaques on cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.
  • To assess the combined risk posed by these two conditions in a primary prevention cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective follow-up study involving 6138 participants aged 40-65 without overt CVD.
  • Data collection included demographic, clinical information, and carotid plaque assessment via ultrasound.
  • Participants were monitored for 4-10 years for CVD events and all-cause mortality.

Main Results:

  • Carotid plaque on both sides was linked to increased CVD events, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality.
  • However, the combination of hypertension and carotid plaque did not significantly elevate the risk for CVD events or all-cause mortality.
  • Cardiovascular event risk was primarily influenced by the extent of carotid artery atherosclerosis.

Conclusions:

  • The co-occurrence of hypertension and carotid plaque does not significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events or all-cause mortality.
  • The extent of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries is a key determinant of cardiovascular events.
  • Risk assessment for cardiovascular events should consider the degree of carotid atherosclerosis.

Keywords:
all-cause mortalitycardiovascular diseasecarotid plaquehypertension

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