Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is linked with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, possibly through an enhancement of atherosclerotic vascular changes. Up to now, however, only a few studies have tried to evaluate the occurrence of atherosclerosis in patients with OSA. In the present study, ultrasonography of the large extracranial vessels was performed in a group of consecutively admitted OSA patients (n = 35) and a control group of non-OSA patients (n = 35). Common carotid artery-intima media thickness (CCA-IMT) was measured at the far wall of both proximal carotid arteries. Furthermore, the presence of plaques and stenoses of the extracranial vessels was determined. All measurements were carried out blinded to the status of the patients. In the OSA group, CCA-IMT was significantly increased when compared with the non-OSA patients and was related to the degree of nocturnal hypoxia. Additionally, the formation of plaques was more pronounced and extracranial vessel stenosis was more common in the OSA patients. In conclusion, these findings are in favour of an independent influence of obstructive sleep apnoea on atherosclerotic changes of the arterial wall, and represent further strong arguments for obstructive sleep apnoea being a risk factor on its own for the emergence of cardiovascular disease.
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PMID:Changes in extracranial arteries in obstructive sleep apnoea. 1564 Mar 25

Peripheral artery disease correlates with preclinical carotid atherosclerosis in Western populations. However, little is known about this correlation in Asian populations. In a cross-sectional population-based study, we examined the correlation between peripheral arterial disease and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) among 726 Japanese men aged 60-79 years. None of them had a history of clinical peripheral arterial disease. The ankle-to-arm systolic blood pressure index (AAI) was used as a surrogate estimate of peripheral arterial disease. Compared to men with AAI> or =0.90, those with AAI<0.90 were 1-4 years older, and had lower mean body mass index and higher prevalence of current smokers. The mean AAI correlated inversely and linearly with maximum IMT in the common and internal carotid arteries (CCA and ICA), and men with AAI<0.90 had higher prevalence of maximum ICA IMT > or =1.5mm than did those with AAI> or =0.90. The multivariate odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of maximum ICA IMT > or =1.5mm was 2.9 (1.0-8.4), while that of maximum CCA IMT> or =1.1mm was 1.4 (0.5-3.8) for men with AAI<0.90 versus > or =1.30. The sensitivity was 65% and the specificity was 98% for low AAI to detect ICA IMT > or =1.5mm. Low AAI is a strong correlate for internal carotid atherosclerosis and the AAI measurement may be of use to screen for preclinical peripheral atherosclerosis among Japanese elderly men.
Atherosclerosis 2006 Feb
PMID:Ankle-arm blood pressure index as a correlate of preclinical carotid atherosclerosis in elderly Japanese men. 1598 59

To clarify associations between cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and the progression of carotid artery atherosclerosis in Type 2 diabetic patients, cardiovascular autonomic nerve function was related to carotid artery ultrasound in 61 Type 2 diabetic patients, 5 and 8 years after the diagnosis of diabetes. Between 5 and 8 years after diagnosis, age-adjusted acceleration index (AI) decreased (from -0.306+/-1.034 to -0.702+/-1.072; P=.0139), whereas age-adjusted expiration/inspiration (E/I) ratio was unchanged (-0.583+/-1.038 and -0.828+/-1.028; P=.1164). Intima-media thickness (IMT) increased in both the common carotid artery (CCA; from 0.854+/-0.219 to 0.913+/-0.241 mm; P<.0001) and the carotid bulb (from 1.789+/-0.714 to 2.128+/-0.881 mm; P<.0001), corresponding to a yearly IMT increase of 0.032+/-0.039 mm in the CCA and 0.146+/-0.204 mm in the carotid bulb. This value did not correlate with the AI or E/I ratios. In age-controlled partial correlation in the first examination, AI correlated inversely with mean (r=-.33, P=.018) IMT in the CCA, but not with IMT in the carotid bulb (r=-.14, P=.303). However, in contrast to the first examination, at follow-up, AI correlated inversely with the mean IMT of the carotid bulb (r=-.40, P=.007), lumen diameter of the CCA (r=-.31, P=.034), and plaque score (r=-.29, P=.041), but not with IMT of the CCA (r=-.04, P=.861). There were no correlations between the E/I ratio and carotid variables. In conclusion, CAN was associated with features of carotid atherosclerosis, which, in the carotid bulb, might affect baroreceptor function with the progression of Type 2 diabetes.
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PMID:Changing associations between progressive cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy and carotid atherosclerosis with increasing duration of type 2 diabetes mellitus. 1599 55

High atherosclerosis prevalence was found in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the von Willebrand factor (vWF) was shown to be a marker for endothelial damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of intima-media thickness of the left common carotid artery with vWF serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients without cardiovascular risk factors. We included 55 RA female patients, each with at least 5 years of duration of the disease, and 20 healthy female subjects as members of the control group. The vWF, cholesterol, triglycerides, and the immune variables-rheumatoid factor and reactive C protein-were evaluated. The media thickness and intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients and in the control subjects were assessed by Doppler ultrasound of the left common carotid artery. Although the ages for RA patients and healthy female controls were not different, the IMT of the left common carotid artery (IMT CCA) in rheumatoid arthritis patients was increased in comparison with healthy control measurements, the mean being 0.67 mm (SD 0.18) vs 0.58 mm (SD 0.10) with a p value 0.01. The vWF serum levels showed differences in RA patients from those in control patients, 145.6 (SD 30.08) vs 121.8 (SD 37.17), respectively, with p=0.007. A correlation was also found between vWF with IMT CCA in the RA patients: r=0.390 and p<0.05. We concluded that the measurements of the left common carotid artery intima-media thickness together with the von Willebrand factor serum levels could give valuable information about the artery status and the atherosclerosis process in early stages in patients with rheumatoid arthritis without cardiovascular risk factors.
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PMID:Common carotid intima-media thickness and von Willebrand factor serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis female patients without cardiovascular risk factors. 1675 72

An increasing body of evidence suggests that atherosclerosis in patients with uremia differs from that found in general population in terms of advancement and localization of vascular lesions. It has also been suggested that different non-invasive techniques of vascular system evaluation are designed to show different types of lesions (i.e. vascular calcification, stiffness or 'classical' atherosclerosis). The aim of the study was to search for possible associations between results obtained with three different non-invasive methods of vascular system assessment in three different vascular sites in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). 61 patients (28 F, 33 M), mean age of 50.4+/-13.6 years, on maintenance PD for a median period of 10 months (range 1-96 months) were included. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was present in 21 subjects. In all subjects coronary artery calcification score (CaSc) using multi-row spiral computed tomography (MSCT), aortic pulse wave velocity (AoPWV) and ultrasound-based common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) were performed as methods for assessing coronary calcium burden, arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis, respectively. Median value of CaSc equaled 11.5 Agatston units (range 0-5502.8 units). Median AoPWV was 10.4 m/s (range 7.56-18.1 m/s), and median CCA-IMT-0.6 mm (range 0.3-1.0 mm). In 16 patients (26.2%) at least one plaque in at least one common carotid artery was found on ultrasound. CaSc correlated with AoPWV (R=0.32, p<0.01) and with CCA-IMT (R=0.35, p<0.005), whereas no association was found between AoPWV and CCA-IMT. AoPWV, but not CaSc nor IMT correlated with blood pressure. The values of CCA-IMT and AoPWV increased together with consecutive Agatston categories (with p<0.001 for differences in AoPWV and p<0.05 for CCA-IMT). Patients with at least one plaque found in at least one CCA and patients with CAD were characterized with significantly higher values of CaSc, IMT and PWV, when compared to plaque-free and CAD- negative subjects, respectively. Association between CaSc and both IMT and PWV may suggest that the mechanism of three assessed vascular pathologies may be based, to some extent, on the process of pathologic calcium-phosphate deposition. Lack of correlation found between PWV and IMT may suggest that aortic stiffness and carotid atherosclerosis may partially differ in their pathologic background and/or are dissociated in time.
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PMID:Coronary artery calcification, common carotid artery intima-media thickness and aortic pulse wave velocity in patients on peritoneal dialysis. 1696 50

The role of flavonoids in CVD is still unclear. In this cross-sectional study we assessed the relation between the intakes of twenty-six flavonoids from five subclasses: flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols and anthocyanidins, and the mean common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT). The study population consisted of 1380 middle-aged eastern Finnish men for whom the mean CCA-IMT examinations were carried out as a part of the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The mean intake of flavonoids was 128.5 (sd 206.7) mg/d and the mean CCA-IMT was 0.78 (sd 0.17) mm. In the lowest quartile of total flavonoid intake the non-adjusted mean CCA-IMT was 0.79 (sd 0.19) mm, while the mean CCA-IMT was 0.76 (sd 0.15) in the highest quartile (P < 0.001). After adjustment for age, variables related to CCA-IMT measurement, history of atherosclerosis, smoking, BMI, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, serum HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, VO2 max, and intakes of alcohol, SFA, folate, vitamins C and E, the total flavonoid intake was inversely associated with the mean CCA-IMT (P = 0.018). Out of different flavonoid subclasses, flavan-3-ols were inversely associated with CCA-IMT (P = 0.025) after statistical adjustment. There was a trend for an inverse association between intake of flavonols and mean CCA-IMT (P = 0.055). We conclude that high intake of flavonoids is associated with decreased carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged Finnish men.
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PMID:The intake of flavonoids and carotid atherosclerosis: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. 1746 95

Inflammatory markers, particularly C-reactive protein (CRP), predict incident cardiovascular disease and are associated with the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. The relations between multiple inflammatory markers and direct measures of atherosclerosis are less well established. Participants in the Offspring Cohort of the Framingham Heart Study (n = 2,885, 53% women, mean age 59 years) received routine assessments of common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), internal carotid artery intima-media thickness (ICA-IMT), and the presence or absence of > or =25% carotid stenosis by ultrasonography. Circulating inflammatory markers assessed from an examination 4 years later included CRP, interleukin-6 (IL-6), intercellular adhesion molecule-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, P-selectin, and CD40 ligand. Assessed as a group, inflammatory markers were significantly associated with ICA-IMT (p = 0.01), marginally with carotid stenosis (p = 0.08), but not with CCA-IMT. Individually, with an increase from the 25th to 75th percentile in IL-6, there were significant increases in ICA-IMT and carotid stenosis (for ICA-IMT, estimated fold increase 1.04, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.06, p = 0.0004; for carotid stenosis, odds ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.47, p = 0.007) after adjustment for age, gender, and established risk factors for atherosclerosis. There was a similar significant multivariate-adjusted association of CRP with ICA-IMT but not with carotid stenosis. Smoking appeared to modify the associations of ICA-IMT with CRP (p = 0.009) and with IL-6 (p = 0.006); the association was more pronounced in current (vs former or never) smokers. In conclusion, there were modest associations of inflammatory markers, particularly IL-6, with carotid atherosclerosis. This association appears more pronounced in current smokers than in former smokers and nonsmokers.
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PMID:Association of multiple inflammatory markers with carotid intimal medial thickness and stenosis (from the Framingham Heart Study). 1753 88

The aim is to investigate whether pediatric familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients have an increased risk of premature atherosclerosis and to determine the possible strength of association between atherosclerosis and Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene mutation gene type. Demographic characteristics and MEFV mutations were defined in 49 children diagnosed with FMF (26 female, 23 male; mean age, 10.71 +/- 3.69 years). Twenty-six age-, sex-, and body-mass-index-matched healthy children constituted the control group. We evaluated the blood counts and acute-phase proteins during attack-free periods. Mean C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A (SAA), homocysteine (Hcy), lipoprotein-a (Lp-a), and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) were 10.75 +/- 15.29 vs 4.03 +/- 1.20, 23.22 +/- 41.94 vs 3.53 +/- 1.04, 10.36 +/- 3.36 vs 8.64 +/- 3.15, 20.84 +/- 23.89 vs 8.56 +/- 7.48, and 0.038 +/- 0.007 vs 0.032 +/- 0.004, respectively, and significantly higher than the mean values of control group (p < 0.05). However, no correlation was found between CCA-IMT and CRP, SAA, Hcy, and Lp-a. Twenty-nine patients had M694V mutation, and 13 patients had other mutations. There was no correlation between CCA-IMT and MEFV mutation subgroups. In conclusion, because of the nature of the disease, FMF patients should be considered to have an increased risk of early vascular alteration and atherosclerosis. For this reason, CCA-IMT measurement can be recommended as a noninvasive and early diagnostic method.
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PMID:The evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness in children with familial Mediterranean fever. 1792 78

Atherosclerosis and calcifications in the cardio-vascular system are the most frequent causes of increased morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease treated with hemodialyses. The aim of this study was to estimate the atherosclerosis progression and presence of calcifications in the circulatory system in patients treated with hemodialyses using, non-invasive imaging diagnostic techniques and to search for the relationships between these changes and microinflammation and oxidative stress during two years. The study was performed in 73 patients (36 female and 37 male), aged 25 to 75 years (mean -49.5), treated with hemodialyses, 3 times/week for 12 to 275 months (mean -73.8). In each patient before starting hemodialysis levels of: ox-LDL, Lp (a), procalcitonin, IL-1beta, IL-6, CRP, TGFbeta, TNFalpha, PDGF, AOPP and MPO were determined. Presence of artery calcifications was detected by Multi-Row Spiral Computed Tomography (MSCT) and expressed as coronary artery calcification score (CACS). Ultrasonography was used to evaluate CCA-IMT. During the study CACS increased significantly after 12 and 24 months (p < 0.00001) as compare with baseline. After 12 months, CACS increase significantly correlated with procalcitonin level (r = 0.30 p = 0.01) and after 24 months with CRP (r = 0.46; p = 0.0002) and IL-6 (r = 0.36; p = 0.005). Independent factor of coronary artery calcification progression after 24 months of observation was only CRP (beta = 0.569). CCA-IMT increased during the study and this increase was statistically significant (p < 0.00001). CCA-IMT increase correlated with CACS growth after 12 (r = 0.36; p = 0.003) and 24 months (r = 0.39; p = 0.002). After 12 months significant relationship was noted with procalcitonin (r = 0.29; p = 0.022). After 24 months CCA-IMT correlated with AOPP (r = -0.30; p = 0.017). The independent factor of CCA-IMT progression after 24 months of observation was only CACS (delta CACS beta = 0.49). From the performed study, we can conclude that exacerbation of atherosclerosis and calcification in the circulatory system of patients treated with maintenance hemodialyses depends on microinflammation and oxidative stress. Reasonable tools for diagnostic algorithm estimation of atherosclerosis advancement in this group of patients are non-invasive, visual diagnostic techniques such as MSCT and ultrasonography.
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PMID:[Influence of microinflammation and oxidative stress on atherosclerosis progression and calcifications in cardiovascular system of hemodialyzed patients during two years follow-up]. 1794 65

The aim of the present study was to determine whether intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common (CCA) and internal carotid arteries (ICA) was increased due to chronic inflammation occurring in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients compared to healthy controls. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A protein (SAA), lipid profile and homocysteine levels were examined in 70 FMF patients [median age 14 years (range 4-24)] in an attack free period and in 50 healthy controls [median age 14 years (range 4-18)]. All the patients were homozygous or compound heterozygous for MEFV mutations. IMT of both CCA and ICA was evaluated with a high resolution B-mode ultrasonography. ESR, CRP, fibrinogen and SAA levels were significantly higher in FMF patients as compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05). Intima media thickness of the common carotid artery was found to be significantly higher in FMF patients when compared to those in healthy controls [0.37 mm (0.26-0.61) vs. 0.28 mm (0.21-0.35), P < 0.001]. The median ICA-IMT was significantly increased in the patients when compared to those in the controls [0.25 mm (0.18-0.44) vs. 0.22 mm (0.10-0.26), P < 0.001]. A positive correlation between CCA-IMT and SAA levels (r = 0.24, P = 0.04) was found while ICA-IMT positively correlated with ESR (r = 0.31, P = 0.008) and fibrinogen levels (r = 0.30, P = 0.012). Intima media thickness, an early predictor of atherosclerosis, may be associated with subclinical inflammation in children with FMF. Further studies will enlighten whether these patients will be predisposed more to coronary artery disease.
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PMID:Evaluation of intima media thickness of the common and internal carotid arteries with inflammatory markers in familial Mediterranean fever as possible predictors for atherosclerosis. 1850 Apr 63


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