Carotid Plaque and Vascular Risk

Ultrasound measurement of carotid plaque correlated with vascular risk only in Latino patients, but it had predictive value for those with few conventional risk factors.

For this report from the urban, multiethnic, population-based Northern Manhattan Study, 2189 subjects (52% Caribbean Latino; 60% women; mean age, 68) underwent ultrasound to measure carotid plaque thickness at baseline and had annual telephone follow-up for a mean of 6.9 years. The authors assessed the value of plaque thickness for predicting the combined endpoint of ischemic stroke, TIA, myocardial infarction, and vascular death (excluding hemorrhagic stroke).

Patients with maximum carotid plaque thickness of 1.9 mm or greater, corresponding to the 75th percentile, had a 2.8-fold higher rate of vascular events than those with no plaque. After adjustments for demographic and vascular risk factors, plaque thickness was significantly predictiv…

Reviewing Author

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke

Carotid Plaque and Vascular Risk

Topics

Reviewing Author