Clinical significance of carotid artery atherosclerosis in hypertension patients

Objective To investigate the relationship between hypertension and carotid atherosclerosis.Methods 251 patients of hypertension and 93 healthy adults were accepted carotid artery ultrasound examination.Vascular diameters,intima-media thickness(IMT),frequency spectrum parameters and plaques were measured in order to investigate the relationships between carotid arteries atherosclerosis and hypertension.Results IMT and plaque incidence were increased significantly in the hypertension group.carotid artery diameter,resistent index(RI) and pulsitive index(PI) were also increased,while the blood stream velocity decreased.With the degree and course of hypertension increasing,the IMT became thicker significantly and also the plaque incidence and Crouse score increased.Conclusion Carotid atherosclerosis is significantly correlated to hypertension and is helpful to monitor the progression and prognosis of hypertension.