WALL THICKENING OF CAROTID AND FEMORAL ARTERIES IN MALE-SUBJECTS WITHISOLATED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA

This study was performed to determine whether hypercholesterolemic men had increased large artery intima-media thickness (IMT), a potential surrogate measure of atherosclerosis, compared to normocholesterolemic controls. The measurements were performed in the far walls of common carotid and femoral arteries with non-invasive automatic computerized ultrasonic technique in 101 asymptomatic men (28-60 years) of whom 40 were normocholesterolemic (total cholesterol < 5.2 mmol/l, controls), 25 had borderline hypercholesterolemia (5.2 less than or equal to tota l cholesterol < 6.2 mmol/l, group 1) and 36 had hypercholesterolemia ( total cholesterol greater than or equal to 6.2 mmol/l, group 2). All t he subjects had no other traditional risk factors, except smoking. Car otid and femoral IMT were significantly increased in group 2 (P < 0.01 ) but not in group 1 compared to controls. When all subjects were pool ed for analysis, carotid and femoral IMT were correlated (r = 0.47, P < 0.001) and increased with total cholesterol (r = 0.35, P < 0.001) an d LDL cholesterol (r = 0.33, r = 0.34, respectively; P < 0.001). Carot id and femoral IMT increased with age in each group: controls, r = 0.4 6, P < 0.01 and r = 0.50, P < 0.001, respectively; group 1, r = 0.42, P < 0.05; group 2, r = 0.48, P < 0.01, and r = 0.59, P < 0.001, respec tively. At the carotid and femoral sites, the regression slopes betwee n age and IMT were steeper in group 2 than in controls (P < 0.01). Thu s, hypercholesterolemia was associated with diffuse large artery wall thickening, whose presence might be useful in the identification of th ose hypercholesterolemic individuals most prone to developing atheroma tous changes, in the decision to treat, and in the monitoring of lipid -lowering treatment.