Abstract
Objective: To study the characteristics and risk factors of carotid atherosclerosis in populations at high risk of stroke in urban and rural areas of North China.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate high stroke risk populations in representative urban and rural areas sampled from 12 regions of China. A pre-designed questionnaire, ultrasound, and laboratory examinations were performed to evaluate risk factors.Results: A total of 30,175 patients were included in the study. The overall prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis was 54.53%, among which intimal thickening and plaque were 39.22 and 41.25%, respectively. The prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis in the urban group was higher than in the rural group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that male gender, age, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, atrial fibrillation, systolic blood pressure, and levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were the common independent risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis in both groups. Higher education, high salt consumption, passive smoking, family history of stroke, and transient ischemic attack were unique independent risk factors, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was a protective factor for carotid atherosclerosis in the urban population.Conclusion: This study suggests that risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis differ between urban and rural populations in North China.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world
We compared the characteristics and risk factors of carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) in high stroke risk populations between urban and rural areas of North China to provide evidence for the development of precise preventive measures to reduce the incidence of CAS and stroke
After excluding cases with incomplete data, we included a total of 30,175 individuals, including 14,461 cases in urban areas and 15,714 cases in rural areas
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world. The mortality rate associated with cardiovascular disease is the highest among non-communicable diseases and is still gradually rising. In China, the overall prevalence of stroke is 2.06%, and the prevalence rate is higher in rural areas compared to urban. Urban-Rural Different for Carotid Atherosclerosis areas [3]. The majority of recent studies on carotid atherosclerosis in China were regional and community-based, which reported that the prevalence of CAS ranges from 22.3 to 72.5% [7,8,9]. There are limited studies focusing on the characteristics and differences of CAS risk factors between urban and rural populations. Varied prevalence of CAS among different areas may be due to distinct exposure to risk factors [10]. We compared the characteristics and risk factors of CAS in high stroke risk populations between urban and rural areas of North China to provide evidence for the development of precise preventive measures to reduce the incidence of CAS and stroke
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
