Prevalence and correlates of carotid atherosclerosis among elderly Japanese men

We determined intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter of carotid artery and estimated their correlations with cardiovascular risk factors in 1129 men aged 60–74 years, who participated in a cardiovascular risk survey in three Japanese communities. The multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for the maximum IMT 1.1 mm in the common carotid artery (CCA) were 1.3 (1.1–1.5) per 4 years of age, 1.8 (1.4–2.5) for hypertension, 1.4 (1.2–1.7) for a 34.4 mg/dl increase in serum total cholesterol, 0.7 (0.6–0.8) for a 14.7 mg/dl increase in serum HDL-cholesterol, and 2.4 (1.1–5.0) for history of stroke, while the maximum IMT 1.5 mm in the internal carotid artery (ICA) were 1.6 (1.4–1.8) per 4 years of age, 1.9 (1.5–2.4) for hypertension, 1.6 (1.2–2.1) for current smoking, and 3.5 (1.6–7.6) for history of stroke. Age, height, hypertension, current smoking, ethanol intake and history of coronary heart disease were independent determinants of both the outer and inner CCA diameter. Maximum IMT correlated positively with the outer diameter and inversely with the inner diameter in the CCA. Carotid atherosclerosis suggests to be a risk factor for stroke among Japanese elderly men, although future prospective studies are required to confirm this finding.