Dependence of local carotid arterial stiffness on the presence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid basin in hypertensive patients

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14739/2310-1210.2024.1.293501

Keywords:

atherosclerosis, vascular wall stiffness, atherosclerotic plaque

Abstract

Aim. To evaluate the viscoelastic properties of the common carotid arteries (CCA) in patients with stage II hypertension (HTN) and to compare these indicators between groups with and without carotid artery (CA) stenosis <50 %.

Materials and methods. The study included 48 patients with stage II HTN, mean age – 55.9 years, 45.8 % men. Basic anthropometric data, laboratory parameters of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, creatinine, quality intima-media thickness (QIMT), local stiffness indicators: artery diameter, distensibility, distensibility coefficient (DC), compliance coefficient (CC), stiffness indices α, β, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), pressure and augmentation index (using RF-QIMT, RF-QAS technologies) were studied. Statistical analysis was performed, p values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results. CA atheromas with stenosis up to 50 % were found in 48 % of the examined, they were older with higher parameters of vessel diameter by 4.6 %, QIMT – by 12.5 %, α index – by 28.0 %, β index – by 27.7 %, and PWV – by 14.7 %. A medium-strength positive correlation has been revealed for age, QIMT, HDL, creatinine level and local stiffness parameters (distensibility, CC, PWV, indices α, β). The atherosclerotic plaque (ASP) presence in the CA was associated with the limit levels of the left CCA QIMT over 698 μm (sensitivity 65.2 %, specificity 86.6 %, p < 0.01), of the right – over 598 μm (sensitivity 73.9 %, specificity 66.6 %, p < 0.01). However, a greater dependence on age than on the presence of atheroma has been proven. At the same time, the odds ratio of the ASP presence was 2.99-fold higher (p = 0.0065) with an increase in the CCA diameter of more than 7.94 mm, and in the multivariate model incorporating age – 2.6-fold higher (p = 0.036), while age has not impacted significantly (p = 0.301) the prognosis.

Conclusions. In individuals with stage II HTN, the presence of CA atherosclerosis with stenosis up to 50 % is associated with a significant increase in vessel diameter regardless of age. CCA intima media thickness depends more on the age of hypertensive patients.

Author Biography

A. O. Bohun, Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Ukraine

MD, Postgraduate student of the Department of Propaedeutics of Internal Medicine, Radiation Diagnostics and Radiation Therapy

References

Flore R, Ponziani FR, Tinelli G, Arena V, Fonnesu C, Nesci A, et al. New modalities of ultrasound-based intima-media thickness, arterial stiffness and non-coronary vascular calcifications detection to assess cardiovascular risk. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015;19(8):1430-41.

Khan H, Shaikh F, Syed MH, Mamdani M, Saposnik G, Qadura M. Current Biomarkers for Carotid Artery Stenosis: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature. Metabolites. 2023;13(8):919. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13080919

Fernández-Alvarez V, Linares Sánchez M, López Alvarez F, Suárez Nieto C, Mäkitie AA, Olsen KD, et al. Evaluation of Intima-Media Thickness and Arterial Stiffness as Early Ultrasound Biomarkers of Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis. Cardiol Ther. 2022;11(2):231-47. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40119-022-00261-x

Messas E, Goudot G, Halliday A, Sitruk J, Mirault T, Khider L, et al. Management of carotid stenosis for primary and secondary prevention of stroke: state-of-the-art 2020: a critical review. Eur Heart J Suppl. 2020;22(Suppl M):M35-M42. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/suaa162

Song P, Fang Z, Wang H, Cai Y, Rahimi K, Zhu Y, et al. Global and regional prevalence, burden, and risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and modelling study. Lancet Glob Health. 2020;8(5):e721-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30117-0

Zyriax BC, Dransfeld K, Windler E. Carotid intima-media thickness and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy volunteers. Ultrasound J. 2021;13(1):17. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13089-021-00218-6

Kurkowska-Jastrzebska I, Karlinski MA, Błazejewska-Hyzorek B, Sarzynska-Dlugosz I, Filipiak KJ, Czlonkowska A. Carotid intima media thickness and blood biomarkers of atherosclerosis in patients after stroke or myocardial infarction. Croat Med J. 2016;57(6):548-57. doi: https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2016.57.548

Georgianos PI, Vaios V, Eleftheriadis T, Zebekakis PE, Liakopoulos V. Pulse Wave Velocity Assessment for Cardiovascular Risk Prognostication in ESKD: Weighting Recent Evidence. Curr Vasc Pharmacol. 2021;19(1):4-11. doi: https://doi.org/10.2174/1570161118666200403142451

van den Oord SC, Sijbrands EJ, ten Kate GL, van Klaveren D, van Domburg RT, van der Steen AF et al. Carotid intima-media thickness for cardiovascular risk assessment: systematic review and meta-analysis. Atherosclerosis. 2013;228(1):1-11. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2013.01.025

Visseren FL, Mach F, Smulders YM, Carballo D, Koskinas KC, Bäck M, et al. 2021 ESC Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice: Developed by the Task Force for cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice with representatives of the European Society of Cardiology and 12 medical societies With the special contribution of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC). Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2022;75(5):429. English, Spanish. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rec.2022.04.003

Boesen ME, Singh D, Menon BK, Frayne R. A systematic literature review of the effect of carotid atherosclerosis on local vessel stiffness and elasticity. Atherosclerosis. 2015;243(1):211-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.09.008

Touboul PJ, Hennerici MG, Meairs S, Adams H, Amarenco P, Bornstein N, et al. Mannheim carotid intima-media thickness and plaque consensus (2004-2006-2011). An update on behalf of the advisory board of the 3rd, 4th and 5th watching the risk symposia, at the 13th, 15th and 20th European Stroke Conferences, Mannheim, Germany, 2004, Brussels, Belgium, 2006, and Hamburg, Germany, 2011. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2012;34(4):290-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000343145

Meinders JM, Hoeks AP. Simultaneous assessment of diameter and pressure waveforms in the carotid artery. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2004;30(2):147-54. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2003.10.014

Kelly R, Hayward C, Avolio A, O'Rourke M. Noninvasive determination of age-related changes in the human arterial pulse. Circulation. 1989;80(6):1652-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.80.6.1652

Safar ME, Asmar R, Benetos A, Blacher J, Boutouyrie P, Lacolley P, et al. Interaction Between Hypertension and Arterial Stiffness. Hypertension. 2018;72(4):796-805. doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11212

Amato M, Veglia F, de Faire U, Giral P, Rauramaa R, Smit AJ, et al. Carotid plaque-thickness and common carotid IMT show additive value in cardiovascular risk prediction and reclassification. Atherosclerosis. 2017;263:412-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.05.023

Roumeliotis A, Roumeliotis S, Panagoutsos S, Theodoridis M, Argyriou C, Tavridou A, et al. Carotid intima-media thickness is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 and chronic kidney disease. Ren Fail. 2019;41(1):131-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/0886022X.2019.1585372

Touboul PJ, Vicaut E, Labreuche J, Belliard JP, Cohen S, Kownator S, et al. Correlation between the Framingham risk score and intima media thickness: the Paroi Artérielle et Risque Cardio-vasculaire (PARC) study. Atherosclerosis. 2007;192(2):363-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2006.05.017

Lorenz MW, Schaefer C, Steinmetz H, Sitzer M. Is carotid intima media thickness useful for individual prediction of cardiovascular risk? Ten-year results from the Carotid Atherosclerosis Progression Study (CAPS). Eur Heart J. 2010;31(16):2041-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehq189

Willeit P, Tschiderer L, Allara E, Reuber K, Seekircher L, Gao L, et al. Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Progression as Surrogate Marker for Cardiovascular Risk: Meta-Analysis of 119 Clinical Trials Involving 100 667 Patients. Circulation. 2020;142(7):621-42. doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.046361

Engelen L, Ferreira I, Stehouwer CD, Boutouyrie P, Laurent S; Reference Values for Arterial Measurements Collaboration. Reference intervals for common carotid intima-media thickness measured with echotracking: relation with risk factors. Eur Heart J. 2013;34(30):2368-80. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehs380

Uejima T, Dunstan FD, Arbustini E, Łoboz-Grudzień K, Hughes AD, Carerj S, et al. Age-specific reference values for carotid arterial stiffness estimated by ultrasonic wall tracking. J Hum Hypertens. 2020;34(3):214-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-019-0228-5

Nilsson PM, Boutouyrie P, Laurent S. Vascular aging: A tale of EVA and ADAM in cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention. Hypertension. 2009;54(1):3-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.109.129114

Niu L, Zhang Y, Meng L, Xiao Y, Wong KK, Abbott D, et al. Detection of subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic subjects using ultrasound radiofrequency-tracking technology. PLoS One. 2014;9(11):e111926. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111926

Baba M, Maris M, Jianu D, Luca CT, Stoian D, Mozos I. The Impact of the Blood Lipids Levels on Arterial Stiffness. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. 2023;10(3):127. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd10030127

Vallée A. Association Between Lipids and Arterial Stiffness for Primary Cardiovascular Prevention in a General Middle-Aged European Population. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022;9:899841. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.899841

Schettini IVG, Rios DRA, Figueiredo RC. Effect of Different Classes of Antihypertensive Drugs on Arterial Stiffness. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2023;25(5):61-70. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-023-01238-4

Tufekci D, Sahutoglu T, Kara E. Investigating arterial stiffness in hypertensive individuals: Insights from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and correlation with clinical and laboratory parameters [Internet]. Research Square. 2023. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3079056/v1

Wei Y, Wang M, Gui Y, Piao X, Sun C, Zhang X, et al. Carotid artery stiffness in rural adult Chinese: a cross-sectional analysis of the community-based China stroke cohort study. BMJ Open. 2020;10(10):e036398. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036398

Wada T, Kodaira K, Fujishiro K, Maie K, Tsukiyama E, Fukumoto T, et al. Correlation of ultrasound-measured common carotid artery stiffness with pathological findings. Arterioscler Thromb. 1994;14(3):479-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/01.atv.14.3.479

Mokhtari-Dizaji M, Nikanjam N, Saberi H. Detection of initial symptoms of atherosclerosis using estimation of local static pressure by ultrasound. Atherosclerosis. 2005;178(1):123-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2004.08.008

Beaussier H, Naggara O, Calvet D, Joannides R, Guegan-Massardier E, Gerardin E, et al. Mechanical and structural characteristics of carotid plaques by combined analysis with echotracking system and MR imaging. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2011;4(5):468-77. doi: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmg.2011.01.017

Giannattasio C, Failla M, Emanuelli G, Grappiolo A, Boffi L, Corsi D, Mancia G. Local effects of atherosclerotic plaque on arterial distensibility. Hypertension. 2001;38(5):1177-80. doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/hy1101.095994

Published

2024-02-05

How to Cite

1.
Bohun AO. Dependence of local carotid arterial stiffness on the presence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid basin in hypertensive patients. Zaporozhye Medical Journal [Internet]. 2024Feb.5 [cited 2024Dec.22];26(1):11-8. Available from: http://zmj.zsmu.edu.ua/article/view/293501