The significance of multiple risk factors for early carotid atherosclerosis in Japanese subjects

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the significance of multiple risk factors for early carotid atherosclerosis in the Japanese population. Methods: The relation between traditional vascular risk factors and serum hiigh-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) or atherosclerotic lesions in the carotid arteries detected by B-mode altrasonography-was evaluated. Patients: The subjects were 1,880 persons (1,240 men and 640 women, mean age 55+/-10, years old) with out' ischemic stroke, infection or collagen diseases. Results: In the men, the odds ratio (OR) for atherosclerotic lesion was increased at 1.90, (95% CI: 1.05-3.43, P=0.032) in those with one risk factor, 2.42 (1.36-4.32, P=0.002) in these with two, and 2.95 (1.69-5.16, P<0.001) in those with three or more. In the women, the OR was similarly increased 1-93 (95% CI: 1.04-3.56, P=0.035) for one risk factor, 2.31 (1.23-4.33, P-0.009) for two, and 3.52 (1.80-6.87, P<0.001) for three or more. The mean hs-CRP concentration increased significantly with the increasing number of risk factors (men and women, P<0.001) and with the degree of carotid arterial stenosis (men, P=0.011; women, P=0.008). Conclusion: Multiple risk factors are more predictive than a single risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis in the Japanese population. © 2007 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.