Race-specific relationships between coronary and carotid artery calcification and carotid intimal medial thickness.

Wagenknecht, Lynne E; Langefeld, Carl D; Carr, J Jeffrey; Riley, Ward; Freedman, Barry I; Moossavi, Shahriar; Bowden, Donald W · Stroke · 2004

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

Calcified arterial plaque has been proposed as a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis. We compared it to a well-validated surrogate--carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT). Calcified arterial plaque was measured in 2 vascular beds (coronary and carotid) by computed tomography, and common carotid artery IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography, in 438 participants. Calcium was positively associated with IMT (r=0.36 for coronary and r=0.45 for carotid, both P<0.0001). Correlations were attenuated with adjustment for age, sex, and diabetes. Calcified plaque in the coronary and carotid arteries is moderately associated with subclinical atherosclerosis.

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