Risk factors and concomitants of internal carotid artery occlusion or stenosis. A controlled study of 159 cases
J. Bogousslavsky, F. Regli and G. Van Melle
Presumed risk factors were studied in 159 patients with internal carotid
artery (ICA) occlusion or stenosis. Smoking, family history of strokes,
ischemic changes on electrocardiogram, and obesity were more frequent and
blood pressure and plasma glucose levels were higher than in 159 sex- and
age-matched controls. Blood pressure and plasma glucose levels were higher
and smoking was more frequent in patients with occlusion than in those with
stenosis. These points suggest that progression is related to some of the
precursors of atherosclerosis. No difference was found between the patients
with ICA disease and an age- and sex-matched group who had coronary disease
without carotid disease, except for diabetes, which was more frequent in
ICA occlusion, and for family history, which corresponded to the site of
atherosclerosis (carotid vs coronary). The constitutional basis may be the
most important differential risk factor in ICA vs coronary disease.
