Age‐ and gender‐specific prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis and its association with metabolic syndrome in Hangzhou, China

OBJECTIVE: Because of rapid alterations in lifestyle and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis (CA) and carotid plaque (CP) may increase in China. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of CA and CP as well as its relation to MetS in an East Chinese population. METHODS: The study included 6142 subjects who underwent general health screening including carotid ultrasonography in 2009. Diagnoses of MetS were made according to the revised Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of CA and CP increased gradually with age. These conditions were more prevalent in men than in women (CA: 22.1%vs 12.0%, P < 0.001; CP: 12.6%vs 7.2%, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male gender, age, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were risk factors for CA and CP, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was protective for CA. Age ≥ 50 years has the largest impact on CA and CP, followed by elevated blood pressure and elevated blood glucose. Individuals with MetS had a higher prevalence of CA (27.7%vs 20.0% in men, 24.0%vs 10.3% in women; P < 0.001 in both) and CP (16.6%vs 11.2% in men, P < 0.001; 11.8%vs 6.5% in women, P < 0.005) than those without MetS. The prevalence and odds ratios of CA and CP aggregated with an increasing number of MetS components, even in individuals exhibiting only one component. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that CA and CP have become a major public health problem in China. MetS and its components were associated with an increased prevalence of CA and CP.