Decreased carotid artery distensibility as a sign of early atherosclerosisin viscose rayon workers

Carbon disulphide (CS2) is known to accelerate atherosclerosis and to incre ase the risk for cardiovascular diseases. To assess the effect of CS2 on th e functional (distensibility and compliance) and the structural (intima med ia thickness) properties of the common carotid artery, and blood pressure a nd lipid metabolism parameters, a cross-sectional study on 85 workers from a viscose rayon factory and 37 controls was carried out. Exposure to CS2 wa s assessed by personal monitoring and was well below the threshold limit va lue-time weighted average. Carotid arterial wall properties were determined using a non-invasive ultrasound wall movement detector system. No signific ant effect of CS2 on blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipopr otein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides was found. Among the vascular parameters studied, only distensibility was sign ificantly lower and heart rate was significantly higher in exposed subjects compared with the controls. In conclusion, occupational exposure to CS2 ma y cause early alterations in arterial elastic properties in young individua ls, and even before lipid and clinical findings have occurred, important fu nctional changes in the vessel wall are present.