Key result
Carotid artery intima-media thickness, plaque formation, and inner diameter remained largely unchanged up to the age of 40, after which they began to significantly increase.
Why the study?
Most studies evaluating carotid ultrasonography for stroke prevention have focused on middle-aged and older subjects, leaving arterial stiffness comparisons between young and elderly individuals less explored.
Does carotid artery ultrasonography demonstrate significant age-related increases in intima-media thickness and plaque formation in healthy adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=89)
No
Does carotid artery ultrasonography demonstrate significant age-related increases in intima-media thickness and plaque formation in healthy adults?
Carotid artery intima-media thickness and plaque formation begin to increase significantly after age 40, suggesting this age as a critical period for the onset of detectable atherosclerotic changes.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Hypothesis-generating for age 40 as carotid atherosclerosis threshold; leaves open longitudinal validation and outcome prediction.
Background Atherosclerosis-related strokes in middle-aged to elderly individuals have become a significant concern due to the risk to their lives and the deterioration of their quality of life. Ultrasonographic evaluation is becoming evident that it is useful for preventing strokes. However, many studies to date have used middle-aged and older subjects. Objective Since Shubun University has many students, as well as older faculty and staff, we searched for how effective carotid artery ultrasonographic evaluation is in predicting future cerebral infarction and other vascular disorders by comparing arterial stiffness between young and elderly subjects. Methods We examined the carotid arteries of 89 healthy adults (37 males and 52 females) from Shubun University, ranging in age from 19 to 77 years old. We measured the intima-media thickness (IMT), the plaques, and the vessel diameter following the guidelines for carotid artery ultrasonography. Results IMT showed a significant age-related increase in both men and women in various parts of the carotid artery, except for women in the bifurcation area in our study. The overall max IMT of the carotid artery showed a significant age-related increase in both men and women. While carotid artery IMT did not change much until the 40s, there was a trend of thickening in the 50s to 60s. Plaque formation began to appear around the 40s. Age-related changes in vascular diameter were more pronounced in older men, particularly those aged 50 and above. Conclusions The results revealed that IMT, the number of plaques and the inner diameter of the carotid artery, remained largely unchanged up to the age of 40, after which they began to increase.
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Kawagishi et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy adults (n=89). Older age vs. Younger age (<40 years) was evaluated on Age-related changes in carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), plaque formation, and vessel diameter. Carotid artery intima-media thickness, plaque formation, and inner diameter remained largely unchanged up to the age of 40, after which they began to significantly increase.
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