BACKGROUND/AIMS: Behcet's disease (BD) is a systemic disorder associated with a characteristic vasculitis that can involve both veins and arteries of all sizes. Endothelial activation or injury is a characteristic feature of BD. Endothelial dysfunction is widely regarded as being the initial lesion in the development of atherosclerosis. The carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is a widely accepted marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. We aimed to determine the carotid IMT in BD patients with using high-resolution B-mode Doppler ultrasonography. METHODS: We studied 40 patients (24 males, mean age: 39.1+/-8.5 years) who were diagnosed by the international diagnostic criteria of Behcet's disease and 20 healthy controls (13 males, mean age: 40.2+/-5.1 years), and the two groups were matched by age and gender. No subject in either group had a history of atherosclerosis or its complications. The clinical data, including the age of onset, the duration of disease, a history of medication, the activity score and the laboratory data were analyzed. RESULTS: The carotid IMT in the BD group was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.71+/-0.22 mm vs. 0.59+/-0.09 mm, respectively, p<0.01). Cardiac and major vessel involvements were not identified in the BD group. However, minor vascular involvements were documented in 2 patients with deep vein thrombosis, in 4 patients with superficial thrombophlebitis and in 2 patients with pseudoaneurysm. The carotid IMT in the patients with posterior uveitis or retinal vasculitis was higher than that of the patients without these findings (0.85+/-0.21 mm vs. 0.64+/-0.10 mm, respectively, p=0.007), but there was no difference of the IMT according to minor vascular involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Despite that there was no significant cardiovascular involvement in the BD patients, the carotid IMT was significantly higher in the BD patients as compared with the healthy controls.
Adult ; Behcet Syndrome/complications/diagnosis/*pathology ; Carotid Arteries/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Case-Control Studies ; Endothelium, Vascular/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Tunica Intima/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Tunica Media/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Doppler ; Vasculitis/pathology

OBJECTIVES: The effect of meat consumption on cardiometabolic risk has been continuously studied, but their associations are not conclusive. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the consumption of meat or red meat and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in healthy Korean adults. METHODS: This study evaluated 2374 community-dwelling adults (933 men and 1441 women) who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer, living in a rural area in Korea. Total meat and red meat intakes were assessed with a validated 103 item-food frequency questionnaire. Carotid IMT was evaluated ultrasonographically, IMTmax was defined as the highest value among IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the mean IMTmax tended to increase in higher meat consumption groups in both men and women with metabolic syndrome (p for trend= 0.027 and 0.049, respectively), but not in participants without metabolic syndrome. Frequent meat consumption (> or =5 servings/week) was significantly associated with higher IMTmax in men with metabolic syndrome (by 0.08 mm, p=0.015). Whereas, the association was not significant in women (by 0.05 mm, p=0.115). Similar but attenuated findings were shown with red meat intake. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a higher meat consumption may be associated with a higher carotid IMT in Korean adults with metabolic syndrome. The frequent meat consumption (> or =5 servings/week), compared with the others, was associated with a higher carotid IMTmax only in men with metabolic syndrome. Further research is required to explore optimal meat consumption in people with specific medical conditions.
Adult ; Aged ; Atherosclerosis/etiology/*pathology ; Carotid Arteries/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meat/*adverse effects ; Metabolic Syndrome X/complications/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Tunica Intima/pathology/ultrasonography ; Tunica Media/*pathology/ultrasonography

In order to study the relationship between serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, leukocyte count and carotid plaque in patients with ischemic stroke, carotid duplex examination was performed by high-definition imaging (HDI) 5000 triplex system. Serum CRP was measured by nephelometry within 72 h after index ischemic stroke. A lesion was considered a plaque in the presence of a maximum intimal-medial wall thickness (IMT) 1.2 mm. Results of carotid ultrasonography were divided into two groups: M1, normal (IMT < 1.2 mm) and M2, abnormal (IMT > or = 1.2 mm). The results showed that the mean age of M2 was significantly older than that of M1 (69.7 +/- 10.4 versus 62.5 +/- 9.6, P = 0.001). The patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (78%, 35% respectively) in M2 were significantly more than those (52%, 18% respectively) in M1 (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There were 32 (65%) patients with elevated CRP levels in M2, but 33 (46%) patients with elevated CRP levels in M1, with the difference being significant between the two groups (P < 0.05). The levels of serum glucose and leukocyte count (8.1 +/- 5.5, 10.3 +/- 4.0, respectively) in abnormal CRP group were significantly higher than that of normal CRP group (6.4 +/- 2.8, 8.7 +/- 3.4) (P < 0.05, P < 0.05); elevated CRP levels was found in 42 (62%) patients with territory infarction and 23 (43%) patients with lacunar infarction respectively, with the difference being significant between these two groups (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the elevation of CRP levels was an significant clinical index for carotid plaque in patients with acute cerebral infarction.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Carotid Arteries ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Carotid Stenosis ; blood ; pathology ; Cerebral Infarction ; blood ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Tunica Intima ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Tunica Media ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Ultrasonography