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Metabolic syndrome showed significant relationship with carotid atherosclerosis

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Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We assessed the associations between MetS and the indicators of carotid atherosclerosis as assessed by ultrasonography taking into consideration of confounders in the general population. A total of 1281 subjects (856 males, 425 females) were included in the present study. The total plaque score and maximum intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries were measured as indicators of atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular risk factors were several metabolic components, serum uric acid, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and lifestyle factors. MetS was defined according to the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program. The prevalences of an elevated total plaque score (≥5) and elevated IMT (>1 mm) of the carotid arteries were significantly higher in subjects with MetS as compared to subjects without MetS. Furthermore, a trend was observed towards higher prevalences of these indicators of atherosclerosis as the number of components of MetS increased. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between elevated plaque score and MetS even after adjustments for age, serum uric acid, serum CRP and lifestyle factors in the males. Among the indicators of atherosclerosis assessed by carotid ultrasonography, a significant independent association was observed between the total plaque score and MetS in males in the general population.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to express our appreciation to the study participants. This work was supported partly by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (24590763), which was given by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8602, Japan

    Tomoyuki Kawada

  2. Sano City Hospital, Sano, Japan

    Takeshi Andou & Masayuki Fukumitsu

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  1. Tomoyuki Kawada
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  2. Takeshi Andou
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  3. Masayuki Fukumitsu
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Correspondence to Tomoyuki Kawada.

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Kawada, T., Andou, T. & Fukumitsu, M. Metabolic syndrome showed significant relationship with carotid atherosclerosis. Heart Vessels 31, 664–670 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-015-0668-y

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