Abstract
Background and Purpose - To investigate relationships among plaque formation, increasing intima-media thickness, and age, we examined ultrasonographically carotid arteries of subjects who had no major atherosclerotic risk factors and who ranged in age from young adults to centenarians. Methods - We studied 319 healthy subjects (154 men, 165 women; age range, 21 to 105 years) with no history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or atherosclerotic disease. Mean intima-media wall thickness (IMT) of common carotid arteries at plaque-free sites and prevalence of plaques were evaluated by B-mode ultrasound. Results - Mean common carotid IMT increased in a linear manner with age for all decades of life, including centenarians [IMT=(0.009×Age)+0.116] (r=0.83). In centenarians (n=30), intima-media complexes were diffusely thickened (mean IMT, 1.01 mm). Plaque prevalence increased up to the tenth decade of life (83.3%, n=30) but decreased in centenarians (60.0%). IMT and plaque prevalence were closely associated in the seventh and eighth decades of life but not at older ages. Conclusions - The present study indicates that increased IMT is a physiological effect of aging that corresponds to diffuse intimal thickening, especially in very elderly persons, and that IMT is distinct from pathological plaque formation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 830-834 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Stroke |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2001 |
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Keywords
- Aging
- Atherosclerosis
- Plaque
- Thickness, intima-media
- Ultrasonography
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Carotid plaque and intima-media thickness assessed by B-mode ultrasonography in subjects ranging from young adults to centenarians. / Homma, Satoki; Hirose, Nobuyoshi; Ishida, Hiroyuki; Ishii, Toshiharu; Araki, Goro.
In: Stroke, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2001, p. 830-834.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Carotid plaque and intima-media thickness assessed by B-mode ultrasonography in subjects ranging from young adults to centenarians
AU - Homma, Satoki
AU - Hirose, Nobuyoshi
AU - Ishida, Hiroyuki
AU - Ishii, Toshiharu
AU - Araki, Goro
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Background and Purpose - To investigate relationships among plaque formation, increasing intima-media thickness, and age, we examined ultrasonographically carotid arteries of subjects who had no major atherosclerotic risk factors and who ranged in age from young adults to centenarians. Methods - We studied 319 healthy subjects (154 men, 165 women; age range, 21 to 105 years) with no history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or atherosclerotic disease. Mean intima-media wall thickness (IMT) of common carotid arteries at plaque-free sites and prevalence of plaques were evaluated by B-mode ultrasound. Results - Mean common carotid IMT increased in a linear manner with age for all decades of life, including centenarians [IMT=(0.009×Age)+0.116] (r=0.83). In centenarians (n=30), intima-media complexes were diffusely thickened (mean IMT, 1.01 mm). Plaque prevalence increased up to the tenth decade of life (83.3%, n=30) but decreased in centenarians (60.0%). IMT and plaque prevalence were closely associated in the seventh and eighth decades of life but not at older ages. Conclusions - The present study indicates that increased IMT is a physiological effect of aging that corresponds to diffuse intimal thickening, especially in very elderly persons, and that IMT is distinct from pathological plaque formation.
AB - Background and Purpose - To investigate relationships among plaque formation, increasing intima-media thickness, and age, we examined ultrasonographically carotid arteries of subjects who had no major atherosclerotic risk factors and who ranged in age from young adults to centenarians. Methods - We studied 319 healthy subjects (154 men, 165 women; age range, 21 to 105 years) with no history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or atherosclerotic disease. Mean intima-media wall thickness (IMT) of common carotid arteries at plaque-free sites and prevalence of plaques were evaluated by B-mode ultrasound. Results - Mean common carotid IMT increased in a linear manner with age for all decades of life, including centenarians [IMT=(0.009×Age)+0.116] (r=0.83). In centenarians (n=30), intima-media complexes were diffusely thickened (mean IMT, 1.01 mm). Plaque prevalence increased up to the tenth decade of life (83.3%, n=30) but decreased in centenarians (60.0%). IMT and plaque prevalence were closely associated in the seventh and eighth decades of life but not at older ages. Conclusions - The present study indicates that increased IMT is a physiological effect of aging that corresponds to diffuse intimal thickening, especially in very elderly persons, and that IMT is distinct from pathological plaque formation.
KW - Aging
KW - Atherosclerosis
KW - Plaque
KW - Thickness, intima-media
KW - Ultrasonography
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035074065&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0035074065&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 11283378
AN - SCOPUS:0035074065
VL - 32
SP - 830
EP - 834
JO - Stroke
JF - Stroke
SN - 0039-2499
IS - 4
ER -