Gender, age and carotid plaque morphology
Holdsworth, R.J.; Bryce, J.S.; Harrison, D.K.; McCollum, P.T.
Minerva Cardioangiologica 45(7-8): 363-367
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0026-4725 PMID: 9450360 Document Number: 480322
To examine the relationship between patients gender, age and the development of different types of internal carotid artery plaque. Prospective open clinical study. 455 carotid duplex scans with a greater than 50% stenosis were analysed in terms of gender, age, degree of stenosis symptoms and plaque morphology. There were 238 males (52.3%) and 217 females. Of 120 patients with type I plaque 86 were male (71.7%, chi 2 = 23.4, p = 0.000002). This high incidence of type I (haemorrhagic) plaque in men was accompanied by a higher degree of stenosis (chi 2 = 11.7 p = 0.0006) but was independent of the age of the patients and the presence of symptoms. Although this study supports the view that men have more severe carotid artery disease, it does not to affect a younger age group. The higher degree of stenosis and its association with haemorrhagic plaque is not translated into an increase in symptoms in men.