Risk factors for popliteal and carotid wall thicknesses in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

The authors evaluated risk factors potentially associated with the developm ent of popliteal artery atherosclerosis in a population-based study and com pared them with factors linked to carotid wall intimal-medial thickness. Th e Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study is a longitudinal invest igation of cardiovascular disease in 15,800 individuals. The present analys es are based on the baseline popliteal and carotid ultrasonography examinat ion in 10,002 subjects conducted in 1987-1989. After adjustment for covaria tes, both carotid and popliteal intimal-medial thicknesses were strongly as sociated with male sex and age (p < 0.01), having a graded relation with in creasing quartiles of plasma total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and with plasma triglycerides (women only for popliteal) (p < 0 .01). An inverse correlation was noted between plasma high density lipoprot ein cholesterol and carotid (p < 0.01) and popliteal (women only) (p < 0.05 ) intimal-medial thicknesses. Cigarette use (p < 0.01), a history of diabet es mellitus (p < 0.01), alcohol use, elevated systolic pressures (p < 0.01) , and fibrinogen levels (p < 0.01) were directly associated with both popli teal and carotid intimal-medial thicknesses. Although menopause was associa ted with thickened carotid (p < 0.01) and popliteal (p < 0.05) intimal-medi al thicknesses, hormone replacement therapy was associated with thinner car otid walls only (p < 0.05). Although there were some differences, many of t he classical risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease were also related to early thickening of both the popliteal and the carotid artery wa lls.