1. Carotid Atherosclerosis and Relation to Growth of Infrarenal Aortic Diameter and Follow-up Diameter: The Tromsø Study.
- Author
-
Johnsen, S.H., Forsdahl, S.H., Solberg, S., Singh, K., and Jacobsen, B.K.
- Subjects
CAROTID artery diseases ,ATHEROSCLEROSIS ,FOLLOW-up studies (Medicine) ,AORTIC aneurysms ,ARTERIAL dilatation ,ABDOMINAL aorta ,ULTRASONIC imaging ,LOGISTIC regression analysis - Abstract
Abstract: Objectives: This research aims to study how carotid atherosclerosis is related to growth of infrarenal aortic diameter and aneurysmal formation. Design: Population-based follow-up study. Materials and methods: At baseline, ultrasound examination of the carotid artery and the abdominal aorta was performed in 4241 persons from a general population with no evidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The burden of atherosclerosis was assessed as carotid total plaque area (TPA). After a mean follow-up of 6.3 years, a new ultrasound examination was performed and measurements of the aortic diameter and carotid TPA were repeated. The effects on aortic diameter progression, follow-up diameter and risk for AAA were assessed in multiple linear and logistic regression models according to carotid TPA, adjusted for known risk factors. Results: When analysing AAA as a dichotomous variable, a borderline association between atherosclerosis and AAA could be demonstrated. When modelling aortic diameter as a continuous variable, a 1-SD increase in 5 years'' carotid plaque area (ΔTPA) was associated with a 0.12-mm growth in infrarenal aortic diameter (standard error (SE) 0.04) and a 0.20-mm wider aorta at follow-up (SE 0.06). No independent relation was seen for baseline atherosclerosis. Conclusions: Carotid plaque progression was positively related to growth in infrarenal aortic diameter and aortic diameter at follow-up. Whether this co-variation between plaque growth and aortic diameter growth is causally related or independent events is still an open question. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF