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LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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Year : 2015 | Volume
: 5
| Issue : 3 | Page : 193 |
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Carotid thickness, blood pressure, age, and body mass index of hypertensive adults
Victorino Modesto Santos MD, PhD
Department of Medicine, Catholic University Medical Course and Armed Forces Hospital, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
Date of Web Publication | 19-Oct-2015 |
Correspondence Address: Prof. Victorino Modesto Santos Catholic University Medical Course and Armed Forces Hospital, Estrada do Contorno do Bosque s/n, Cruzeiro Novo, 70630-900, Brasilia, DF Brazil
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2278-9596.167523
How to cite this article: Santos VM. Carotid thickness, blood pressure, age, and body mass index of hypertensive adults. Arch Int Surg 2015;5:193 |
Sir,
I read with special interest the article by Ibinaiye et al., in which they appropriately emphasized the role of age and blood pressure as major factors of carotid intima-media thickness and highlighted the relationship with arterial plaques and strokes. Plaques were seen in 10% of their cases, were more evident on the right carotid, and the carotid thickness increased with age. [1] Diabetes, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, pregnancy, and secondary hypertension were factors for the exclusion of the study. [1] The completeness of this prospective study is considered unequivocal. In fact, laboratory determinations as glucose, cholesterol, nitrogen urea, creatinine, hematocrite, hemoglobin, calcium, phosphorus, and parathormone (PTH) have been very useful. [2] Therefore, I would like to comment on the prospective study of Costa et al. on the relationship between common carotid artery thickness and serum levels of PTH, in 14 patients aged between 18 and 65 years and with chronic kidney failure on dialysis. [2] These individuals were categorized into two groups - Group 1 (n = 7, with PTH serum levels ≤ to 200 pg/ml), and Group 2 (n = 7, with PTH serum levels above 500 pg/ml). There was no difference in carotid artery thickness between groups about age. Nevertheless, a significant difference was observed in relation to the presence of plaques. [2] The mean age of Group 1 was 46 ± 5 years, the mean carotid thickness was 0.79 ± 0.1 mm, and 42.86% of patients had plaques. The mean age of Group 2 was 48 ± 5 years, the mean carotid thickness was 0.89 ± 0.1 mm, and 71.43% of patients had plaques. Significant correlation was observed between PTH serum levels and carotid artery thickness (r = 0.31 and P = 0.03). [2] Carotid artery thickness was scanned by 8-12 MHz linear transducer with Doppler facility, similarly to the work done by Ibinaiye et al. Authors concluded that the role of PTH upon blood pressure needs to be better understood, and prospective studies involving relationships between carotid artery thickness and arterial hypertension should evaluate determinations of PTH. [2]
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References | | |
1. | Ibinaiye PO, Kolade-Yunusa HO, Abdulkadir A, Yunusa T. Relationship of carotid artery intima media thickness to blood pressure, age and body mass index of hypertensive adult patients. Arch Int Surg 2015;5:63-8. |
2. | Costa AF, Barufaldi F, Silveira MA, dos Santos VM, Menezes Pde L. Association of PTH and carotid thickness in patients with chronic kidney failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism. J Bras Nefrol 2014;36:315-9. |
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