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Increased maximum common carotid intima-media thickness is associated with smoking and hypertension in Tochigi Prefecture residents

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Abstract

Objective

We investigated maximum intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery (IMT-Cmax) in residents of Tochigi Prefecture, who have been reported to have high stroke mortality.

Method

Our study included 840 individuals. All participants underwent carotid ultrasonography and answered a questionnaire during participation in a health festival in Tochigi Prefecture. The questionnaire was designed to collect information on age, gender, and risk factors for stroke. IMT-Cmax was measured. Statistical analyses were performed to identify factors contributing to IMT-Cmax values ≥1.1 mm.

Results

In total, 117 subjects had an IMT-Cmax value ≥1.1 mm. IMT-Cmax correlated significantly with age, current smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and previous symptomatic stroke (p < 0.05) in univariate analysis. Current smoking (p < 0.001, odds ratio 3.88) and hypertension (p = 0.0070, odds ratio 1.83) were seen as significant contributing factors to IMT-Cmax ≥1.1 mm in logistic regression analysis adjusted by age, gender, and previous symptomatic stroke.

Conclusion

We identified current smoking and hypertension as the most significant contributing factors to increased IMT-Cmax in residents of Tochigi Prefecture, emphasizing the importance of routine blood pressure monitoring and anti-smoking education in this population.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Sachiyo Konno, Ms. Natsuki Ejiri, Ms. Misaki Kawamata, Mr. Naotoshi Takase, Ms. Akemi Yoshihara (Center of Medical Ultrasonics, Dokkyo Medical University Hospital), Ms. Yuriko Aiba, Mr. Mitsuhiro Fujita (Department of Clinical Laboratory, Akiru Municipal Medical Center), Mr. Nobuyoshi Furutani (Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Hospital Organization Tochigi Medical Center), and Ms. Izumi Hirano (Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nogi Hospital) for their assistance in the questionnaire survey of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stroke Division, Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, 322-0293, Japan

    Akio Iwasaki, Hidehiro Takekawa, Ryuta Okabe, Keisuke Suzuki, Madoka Okamura, Takahito Nishihira, Ayano Suzuki, Yuka Tsukahara & Koichi Hirata

  2. Center of Medical Ultrasonics, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan

    Hidehiro Takekawa

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Akiru Municipal Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

    Ryuta Okabe

Authors
  1. Akio Iwasaki
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  2. Hidehiro Takekawa
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  3. Ryuta Okabe
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  4. Keisuke Suzuki
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  5. Madoka Okamura
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  6. Takahito Nishihira
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  7. Ayano Suzuki
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  8. Yuka Tsukahara
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  9. Koichi Hirata
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akio Iwasaki.

Ethics declarations

All procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects prior to study inclusion. The institutional review board of Dokkyo Medical University Hospital approved the study. All patients provided written informed consent to participate.

Conflict of interest

There are no financial or other relations that could lead to a conflict of interest.

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Iwasaki, A., Takekawa, H., Okabe, R. et al. Increased maximum common carotid intima-media thickness is associated with smoking and hypertension in Tochigi Prefecture residents. J Med Ultrasonics 44, 315–321 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-017-0774-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-017-0774-9

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