A RESEARCH ON THE RISK FACTORS FOR THE FORMATION AND STABILITY OF CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE

Yan Sun¹, Yanfang Xie^{2, *}

¹Medical Imaging Department, HospitalOf Jiangxi Provincial Armed Police Corps, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China - ²Ultrasound Department, Xishan Outpatient Department, Jingxi Medical District, China PLA General Hospital, Beijing City, China

Objective: Intend to explore the risk factors of carotid plaque formation and the factors affecting plaque stability by screening carotid plaque by color Doppler. 

Methods: Color Doppler ultrasound examination of carotid artery was performed in 150 subjects. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the variables with statistical significance and the predominance ratio of each variable to carotid atherosclerotic plaque compared with (OR). In addition, we intended to evaluate the risk of carotid atherosclerotic plaque formation. According to the ultrasonic characteristics of plaques, multi-factor Logistic regression analysis was carried out, and the indexes with statistical significance were obtained. 

Results: The results of univariate regression analysis and multivariate Logistic regression showed that age, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), C-reactive protein (CRP) were closely related to the formation of carotid plaque. In the meanwhile, it was concluded that age, history of hypertension and history of diabetes were independent risk factors for the formation of carotid plaque. Those with a history of diabetes had the highest risk of carotid plaque. It was concluded that CRP was a risk factor affecting plaque stability, and the higher the CRP, the more unstable the plaque through the multivariate regression analysis of carotid plaque stability. 

Conclusion: Color Doppler ultrasound of carotid artery can be used as a window to reflect the degree of atherosclerosis because of its non-invasive, economical, convenient and easy to repeat. By screening carotid plaque and analyzing the stability of plaque, we are guided to explore the risk factors of carotid plaque combined with clinical and laboratory indicators. It contributes to indirectly evaluate the potential risk of cardiovascular disease and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular accidents.