The Relative Assessment of Atherosclerosis in Vessels of Major Organs and Its Factors for Progression.

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Abstract
In order to study the relative assessment of atherosclerosis among arteries of various organ (coronary, aortic, peripheral and cerebral artery), 94 patients aged 43-69 underwent examination by coronary angiography (CAG), pulse wave velocity (PWV), ankle pressure index (API) and funduscopy simultaneously. The severity of coronary sclerosis was determined by the coronary atherosclerotic index (CAI) which was based on the size and number of stenotic lesions, which that of funduscopic findings was evaluated using Scheies' score (S+H). The relationship between risk factors of atherosclerosis and each value for the examinations (CAI, PWV, API, S+H) were studied. Furthermore, subjects were divided into two groups of normal or early change groups and a progressive group based on the degree of atherosclerosis. Then, the difference of atherosclerosis in each vessel of major organs was compared. A positive correlation between PWV and age, and a negative correlation between API and age were noted (p < 0.01, p < 0.05). A higher prevalence of hypertension in groups of progressive PWV or API were observed (p < 0.05). Total cholesterol in the CAI progressive group was significantly higher than in the normal group (p < 0.005), and it became higher in relation to the progression of PWV or API (p < 0.001). HDL-C in the progressive groups of CAI, PWV API and S+H were significantly lower (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.02, p < 0.01). On the other hand, glucose intolerance influenced the progression of CAI, PWV, API and S+H, statistically. In subjects whose age was limited to between 55-64, statistically significant correlations were noted between any pair of examinations among CAI, PWV, API and S+H. The percentage of API and S+H progressive groups were lower in CAI normal of PWV early change groups, suggesting earlier sclerotic change of the coronary artery or aorta than that of peripheral or cerebral artery. These results demonstrate that the atherosclerosis in major vessels could be assessed relatively using a non pathological process, which supports the usefulness of these examinations in clinical practice.

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