Carotid plaque formation was associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but this association was largely explained by cardiovascular risk factors and became non-significant after adjustment (adjusted HR for stroke 1.61 for plaque score >2 vs 0).
Cohort (n=1,398)
No
Does progression of carotid atherosclerosis predict incident cardiovascular disease in a Taiwanese community cohort?
Carotid plaque formation is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but this association is largely explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Hazard Ratio: 1.61 (95% CI 0.79–3.27)
The authors investigated the association between progression of carotid atherosclerosis and incidence of cardiovascular disease in a community cohort in Taiwan. Data has rarely been reported in Asian populations. Study subjects were 1,398 participants who underwent ultrasound measures of common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and extracranial carotid artery plaque score at both 1994-1995 and 1999-2000 surveys. Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the risk of incident cardiovascular disease. During a median follow-up of 13 years (1999-2013), 71 strokes and 68 coronary events occurred. The 5-year individual IMT change was not associated with development of cardiovascular events in unadjusted and adjusted models. Among subjects without plaque in 1994-1995, we observed elevated risk associated with presence of new plaque (plaque score >0 in 1999-2000) in a dose-response manner in unadjusted and age- and sex- adjusted models. The associations attenuated and became statistically non-significant after controlling for cardiovascular risk factors (hazard ratio 95% confidence interval for plaque score >2 vs. 0: stroke, 1.61 0.79-3.27, coronary events, 1.13 0.48-2.69). This study suggested that carotid plaque formation measured by ultrasound is associated increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular risk factors explain the associations to a large extent.
Chen et al. (Thu,) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular Disease Risk (n=1,398). Carotid atherosclerosis progression (new plaque formation and IMT change) vs. No progression / absence of new plaque was evaluated on Stroke (for plaque score >2 vs. 0, adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors) (HR 1.61, 95% CI 0.79-3.27). Carotid plaque formation was associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but this association was largely explained by cardiovascular risk factors and became non-significant after adjustment (adjusted HR for stroke 1.61 for plaque score >2 vs 0).