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Influence of hypertension and smoking as the single vascular risk factors on the intima-media thickness

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Abstract

In order to compare the extent of early carotid atherosclerosis between patients with single vascular risk factors (smoking = SMO or hypertension = HYP) and risk-free normal subjects ( = HCS), we used intimal-medial wall thickness (IMT) measurements of the common carotid artery. The age- and sex-adjusted mean IMTs were significantly higher in the HYP and SMO groups than in the HCS control group (p < 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). The estimated yearly progression rate of IMT (average difference in IMT/year age difference) was significantly higher in the HYP and SMO groups than in the HCS group (p < 0.05). In the total group, the age, hypertension, smoking and sex accounted for 52% of the variability of IMT. Our results show that the estimated yearly progression rate of IMT is slower in healthy and risk-free volunteers than previously detected and that the smoking and hypertension have a similar effect to the progression of early atherosclerosis. This also emphasises the influence of smoking in initial vascular remodelling process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Aladár Petz County and Teaching Hospital, Györ, Hungary

    Attila Csányi & Ágnes Egervári

  2. National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, National Stroke Centre, Budapest, Hungary

    Attila Csányi & Zoltán Nagy

Authors
  1. Attila Csányi
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  2. Ágnes Egervári
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  3. Zoltán Nagy
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Csányi, A., Egervári, Á. & Nagy, Z. Influence of hypertension and smoking as the single vascular risk factors on the intima-media thickness. Eur J Epidemiol 17, 855–861 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015674024081

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