Relationship between dyslipidemia and carotid plaques in a high-stroke-risk population in Shandong Province, China

Abstract

Introduction: The precise associations between stroke and carotid plaques and dyslipidemia are unclear. This population-based study aimed to examine the relationship between carotid plaques and dyslipidemia in a high-stroke-risk population. Methods: Ultrasonography of left and right carotid arteries was conducted in 22,222 participants in a second screening survey of individuals with high stroke risk. Subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of carotid plaques. Blood TC (total cholesterol), TG (total triglycerides), and LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) levels were recorded. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis, controlled for gender, age, education, geographic region, smoking, exercise, and overweight (Model 2), identified TG as a predictor of carotid-plaque risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.109, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.038–1.185, P = 0.002), and the association between carotid plaques and LDL-C (OR = 0.967, 95%CI: 0.949–0.994, P = 0.019) was less significant, whereas there was no association between carotid plaques and TC (OR = 1.002, 95%CI: 0.932–1.007, P = 0.958). After additional adjustment for hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation (Model 3), TG remained a risk factor for carotid plaques (OR = 1.086, 95%CI: 1.016–1.161, P = 0.015), but no associations were observed between carotid plaques and LDL-C (OR = 0.972, 95%CI: 0.910–1.038, P = 0.394) or TC (OR = 1.003, 95%CI: 0.933–1.079, P = 0.928). Only the association between TG and carotid plaques (OR = 1.084, 95%CI: 1.014–1.159, P = 0.017) was independent of all covariates (covariates in Model 3 plus history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, and stroke family history) in Model 4. Conclusion: These findings indicate that TG was an independent risk factor for carotid plaques in high-risk population for stroke, whereas LDL-C and TC were not associated with the appearance of carotid plaques independently.