Effects of carotid artery plaque on ischemic stroke in patients with essential hypertension

Objective To investigate the association between carotid artery plaque and the incidence of ischemic stroke in essential hypertensive (EH) patients. Methods A total of 404 EH patients were divided into EH without ischemic stroke group(n=230) and EH with ischemic stroke group(n=174). The incidence and type of carotid artery plaque were calculated and multivariable logistic regression analyses was used. Results The incidence of carotid artery plaque (66.7% vs 52.2%,P=0.003) and the proportion of soft plaques (40.5% vs 27.5%, P0.05) in EH with ischemic stroke group were significantly higher than that of EH without ischemic stroke group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that carotid artery plaque increased the risk of ischemic stroke in EH patients(OR=1.77,95% CI 1.18-2.66). Conclusion Carotid artery plaque, particularly soft plaque was associated with increased incidence of ischemic stroke and was an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke in EH patients.