Abstract
BackgroundThe effects of baseline and changes in blood pressure and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol on the carotid intima media thickness (IMT) have not been well documented.MethodsA total of 2572 adults (mean age 53.8 years, 54.6% women) in a Taiwanese community undertook three blood pressure and LDL cholesterol examinations over 6 years. Latent growth curve modeling was used to investigate the effects of baseline and change in blood pressure and LDL cholesterol on IMT.ResultsGreater baseline LDL and blood pressure were associated with an increase in IMT (0.005 ± 0.002 mm per 1 mg/dL [p = 0.006] and 0.041 ± 0.004 mm mmHg [p <0.0001], respectively. Change in blood pressure was associated with a significant increase in IMT (0.047±0.016, P = 0.004), whilst the association between change in LDL and change in IMT was not statistically significant (0.008±0.006, P = 0.20).ConclusionsCarotid IMT was associated with baseline blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, yet only changes of blood pressure, not LDL cholesterol, were related to carotid IMT during the 6-year observation.
Highlights
The effects of baseline and changes in blood pressure and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol on the carotid intima media thickness (IMT) have not been well documented
LDL cholesterol decreased in later examinations, yet non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and systolic blood pressure values increased progressively
Change in blood pressure seems to have a stronger effect on IMT than change in LDL cholesterol, suggesting the effects of lipid-lowering treatment on carotid IMT regression might be small [34]
Summary
The effects of baseline and changes in blood pressure and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol on the carotid intima media thickness (IMT) have not been well documented. Some studies have shown that carotid plaque score is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease [7,8,9,10,11], but results from clinical trials on the relationship between the reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol and change in IMT are inconsistent [12,13,14]. It would be useful to look into the effects of changes in repeated blood pressure and cholesterol measurements on IMT in longitudinal cohorts. The aim of this study is to use repeated measurements of blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels over 6 years to investigate the effects of changes in blood pressure and cholesterol on carotid IMT among Taiwanese adults in a community cohort
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