Carotid atherosclerosis in a sample of Egyptian patients with or without ischemic vascular events

Abstract

Abstract Background Ethnic-racial factors are related to the development of extra- and intracranial atherosclerosis. There are extensive data about carotid atherosclerosis from American, European and Asian population. However, data from Egyptian ethnics are extremely rare. We aimed to examine the frequency and determine the predictors of carotid atherosclerosis in a sample of Egyptian patients. In a cross-sectional observational study, we prospectively recruited consecutive patients, with or without ischemic vascular events, either ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, who received neurovascular ultrasound in a tertiary hospital. We assessed the presence of carotid plaques and the degree of stenosis according to the hemodynamic North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) criteria. Results A total of 668 carotid arteries in 334 patients with a mean (IQR) age of 61 (55–70) years were examined; 69.5% presented with and 30.5% without ischemic vascular events. We found carotid plaques in 208 (31.1%) arteries among 147 (44%) patients; 32% of the patients showed non-hemodynamically significant plaques, whereas 3.6% showed 20–40% internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and 8.4% showed ≥ 50% ICA stenosis. In patients with ischemic vascular events and at least one risk factor, we detected carotid atherosclerosis, 20–40% ICA stenosis and ≥ 50% ICA stenosis in 40.4%, 3% and 9.1% among patients ≤ 60 years as well as in 64.8%, 5.5% and 13% among patients > 60 years, respectively. In an age and sex adjusted binary logistic regression model, the following factors predicted carotid atherosclerosis: age > 60 years (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.99–5.57, p < 0.001), hypertension (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.32–4.02, p = 0.003), current smoking (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.13–4.55, p = 0.02), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.27–3.64, p = 0.004) and ischemic vascular events (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.01–3.19, p = 0.046). Conclusions Among Egyptians, the frequency of carotid atherosclerosis seems to be low. Further multiethnic studies are warranted to compare the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis among Egyptians with Whites and Chinese populations. Older age, hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus and ischemic vascular events are predictors of carotid atherosclerosis.