Race-Specific Relationships Between Coronary and Carotid Artery Calcification and Carotid Intimal Medial Thickness

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background and Purpose— Calcified arterial plaque has been proposed as a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis. We compared it to a well-validated surrogate—carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT). Methods— Calcified arterial plaque was measured in 2 vascular beds (coronary and carotid) by computed tomography, and common carotid artery IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography, in 438 participants. Results— Calcium was positively associated with IMT ( r =0.36 for coronary and r =0.45 for carotid, both P Conclusions— Calcified plaque in the coronary and carotid arteries is moderately associated with subclinical atherosclerosis.