Introduction Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:A:Atherosclerosis:Vol151.Issue2.Aug2000:
Atherosclerosis 151 2000 501 – 508
Ultrasound determined carotid and femoral atherosclerosis in Lithuanian and Swedish men: the LiVicordia study
M. Kristenson
a,
, C. Lassvik
b
, B. Bergdahl
b
, Z. Kucinskie`ne
c
, L. Aizienie`ne
d
, Ziede´n Bo
b
, Liselotte Scha¨fer Elinder
e
, A.G. Olsson
b
a
Department of Health and En6ironment, Faculty of Health Sciences, S-
58185
Linko¨ping, Sweden
b
Department of Medicine and Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, S-
58185
Linko¨ping, Sweden
c
Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Vilnius, Lithuania
d
Department of Cardiology, Medical Faculty, Vilnius, Lithuania
e
Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Received 3 March 1999; received in revised form 8 September 1999; accepted 22 September 1999
Abstract
Coronary heart disease mortality is four times higher in Lithuanian compared to Swedish middle-aged men. Using the same equipment Acuson XP10 with 5 MHz linear transducer and staff, we compared the amount of atherosclerosis in carotid and
femoral arteries in 100 randomly sampled 50-year-old men in each of the cities Vilnius, Lithuania and Linko¨ping, Sweden. Atherosclerotic plaques were more abundant in Vilnius men compared to Linko¨ping men 53 versus 28 in the common carotid
artery, 73 versus 37 in the common femoral artery, P B 0.001 for both. Plaques were thicker and more extended in arteries of Vilnius men, and an ultrasound atherosclerosis score was higher in both carotid and femoral arteries P B 0.001 for all. More
Vilnius men had a maximal intima-media thickness of the common femoral artery above 1 mm P B 0.005. Stiffness in the common carotid artery was higher in Vilnius men P B 0.001. In a linear regression model of the pooled material, after
adjustment for city was made, smoking, systolic blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and b-carotene inversely significantly contributed to a high total ultrasound score r
2
= 0.32. These findings show that the higher coronary mortality noted
in Lithuanian men goes together with a higher prevalence of early peripheral atherosclerosis. © 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
:
Lithuania; Intima-media thickness; Plaque; Stiffness; Risk factors www.elsevier.comlocateatherosclerosis