Carotid atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease: An analysis of correlation factors

Objective To study the correlation of coronary heart disease with carotid atherosclerosis and its risk factors,and to predict the diagnostic value of carotid ultrasonography.Methods Carotid ultrasound was performed in 173 patients who had been consecutively examined by 40 slices spiral CT coronary artery imaging and the intima-media thickness(IMT) of carotid artery,state and amounts were observed and compared.Meanwhile,risk factors were collected such as serum C-reactive protein,blood sugar,total cholesterol,low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein level,and were analyzed with SPSS 13.0.Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between risk factors and carotid atherosclerosis.Results The more serious the coronary artery disease,the thicker the maximum intima-media thickness.There was a statistically significant value.Carotid atherosclerosis reflected coronary artery disease with a sensitivity and specificity value of 82.6% and 82.8% respectively.Logistic models indicated that blood sugar,TG,HDL-C and CRP were significant variables with IMT.Conclusion There is a strong and significant relation between carotid artery atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.Carotid arteries ultrasound-graphy is an important method for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and screening patients with multi-risk factors.Serum CRP is positively correlated with the degree of coronary atherosclerosis and the intima-media thickness(IMT) of carotid artery.