Aim: The relationship between carotid pathology and risk factors (RF) in hypertensive patients for cerebrovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: Color duplex sonography of carotid arteries was performed in 924 hypertensive patients: 368 with RF for CVD, 126 with transient ischemic attacks (TIA), 287 with chronic unilateral infarction (CUI) and 143 with multiple infarctions. The intima media thickness (IMT) was measured in B- and M- mode. No modifiable (age, sex) and some modifiable (hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidemia, carotid artery stenosis, obesity, hemorheological variables FR were evaluated. In 368 subjects with RF, 57 with CVD (31 with TIAs and 26 with CUI) and 16 healthy correlative clinical, neurosonographic and echocardiographic studies were performed.

Results: Arterial hypertension was the most common RF in all patients. An asymmetrical hypertrophy of the left ventricle and a decrease contractility was found as a typical diastolic dysfunction in most of them. Mild stenosis of ICA predominated in all groups while moderate or severe carotid stenoses were relatively rare. Symptomatic thromboses of ICA were seen in 4, 5 % in patients with CUI. IMT of the ICA on the site of infarction correlated positively with the arterial blood pressure (r= +0.60, p<0.05). A positive was established between CCA, diastolic blood flow and cardiac ejection fraction in patients with TIAs and CUI.

Conclusion: The study confirms clinical impact of carotid pathology alone or its association with other RF is under consideration. The changes of variables of hemorheology, lipids, blood pressure are related to other RF for CVD.