Carotid Intima-Media Thickness is a Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease in South African Black Patients : Cardiovascular Topics

ABSTRACT

Background: Several studies have shown that increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) confers risk of future coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke. The present study aimed at investigating whether CIMT is a predictor of CAD in South African black patients. Methods and Results: This was a prospective study of 53 patients; 41 men and 12 women; with ages ranging from 30 to 70 years. All patients had undergone coronary angiography for suspected CAD. B-mode ultrasound measurement of the carotid intima-media thickness was carried out in all patients; the operator being blinded to the coronary angiography findings. Twenty-nine of the 38 (76) subjects with established CAD had increased CIMT; with an average mean CIMT of 1.13 mm. Single-vessel disease was present in 12 people; double-vessel disease in 11 and triple-vessel disease in 12. There was a significant positive linear trend between CIMT and the number of involved coronary vessels (p 0.0001; r