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Atherosclerosis in the human brachial artery
K E Sorensen1, I B Kristensen, D S Celermajer
1Department of Cardiology, Skejby Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Insights
Atherosclerosis is common in the brachial artery, correlating significantly with coronary and carotid artery disease. This suggests the brachial artery can serve as a surrogate for studying atherosclerosis, especially in younger individuals.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular pathology
- Vascular biology
- Atherosclerosis research
Background:
- Brachial circulation is studied for insights into coronary artery disease and early atherogenesis.
- Prevalence of brachial atherosclerosis and its link to coronary disease remain undocumented.
- Understanding brachial artery disease is crucial for comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions in the human brachial artery.
- To investigate the relationship between brachial artery atherosclerosis and disease in coronary and carotid arteries.
- To evaluate the brachial artery as a potential surrogate for studying atherosclerosis.
Main Methods:
- Autopsy-obtained arterial segments from brachial, common carotid, and left anterior descending coronary arteries of 52 subjects.
- Histologic examination using standard techniques to identify and grade atherosclerotic lesions (fatty streaks, fibrous plaques, advanced lesions).
- Statistical analysis to correlate lesion severity across the three arterial beds and by age groups.
Main Results:
- Atherosclerotic lesions were found in 75% of brachial arteries, 98% of common carotid arteries, and 100% of coronary arteries.
- Prevalence and severity of atherosclerosis increased with age in all studied arteries.
- Significant correlations were observed between lesion severity in brachial, carotid, and coronary arteries, particularly notable in younger subjects.
Conclusions:
- Atherosclerosis is highly prevalent in the human brachial artery.
- Brachial artery atherosclerosis is significantly correlated with both coronary and carotid artery disease.
- The brachial artery may serve as a valuable surrogate model for atherosclerosis research, especially in younger populations.
Objectives:
We sought to assess the prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions in the human brachial artery.
Background:
Many investigators have recently studied endothelial and vascular function in the brachial circulation in humans to further their understanding of coronary artery disease and early atherogenesis. However, the prevalence of brachial atherosclerosis and its relation to coronary disease have never been documented.
Methods:
Arterial segments from the brachial, common carotid and left anterior descending coronary arteries were obtained during autopsy in 52 consecutively examined subjects (35 men, 17 women; 21 to 79 years old, mean [+/-SD] age 51 +/- 16) and studied by light microscopy using standard histologic techniques. Severity of the atherosclerotic lesions was categorized as fatty streaks (grade 1), fibrous plaques (grade 2) and advanced lesions (grade 3).
Results:
Atherosclerotic lesions of any grade were found in the brachial artery in 39 (75%) subjects, common carotid artery in 51 (98%) and left anterior descending coronary artery in 52 (100%), and the prevalence and severity of disease increased with age in all three arteries. The grade of lesion severity in the brachial and coronary arteries was significantly correlated (r = 0.41, p = 0.003), as was severity in the brachial and carotid arteries (r = 0.53, p = 0.0001) and the carotid and coronary arteries (r = 0.69, p = 0.0001). The correlation between the brachial artery and the left anterior descending coronary artery was highly significant in subjects < or = 50 years old (r = 0.54, p = 0.002), but not in those > or = 50 years old (r = 0.37, p = NS).
Conclusions:
Atherosclerosis is common in the human brachial artery and is significantly correlated with both coronary and carotid disease. These results suggest that the brachial circulation may serve as a reasonable "surrogate" for studying atherosclerosis, particularly in younger adults.