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(Hypertension. 2006;48:411.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Articles

Metabolic Syndrome May Not Associate With Carotid Plaque in Subjects With Optimal, Normal, or High-Normal Blood Pressure

Nobukazu Ishizaka; Yuko Ishizaka; Hideki Hashimoto; Ei-Ichi Toda; Ryozo Nagai; Minoru Yamakado

From the Departments of Cardiovascular Medicine (N.I., R.N.) and Health Management and Policy (H.H.), University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, and the Center for Multiphasic Health Testing and Services (Y.I., E.-I.T., M.Y.), Mitsui Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Correspondence to Nobukazu Ishizaka, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Hongo 7-3-1 Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. E-mail nobuishizka-tky{at}umin.ac.jp

Much evidence indicates that metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, but whether metabolic syndrome is an independent risk factor for early atherosclerosis in the individuals with only minor hemodynamic abnormalities, if any, is not well investigated. Here we have investigated the association between metabolic syndrome and carotid atherosclerosis in individuals with blood pressure of <140/90 mm Hg. Between 1994 and 2003, 8143 subjects underwent general health screening including carotid ultrasonography. Of 8143 individuals, 5661 individuals without antihypertensive medications who had blood pressure of <140/90 mm Hg were considered to have optimal, normal, or high-normal blood pressure. After adjustment for age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, and smoking status, metabolic syndrome was not found to be an independent risk factor for carotid plaque (odds ratio: 1.65; 95% CI; 0.72 to 3.76 in women and odds ratio: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.70 to 1.28 in men) or for carotid intima-media thickening (odds ratio: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.18 to 1.72 in women and odds ratio: 0.93 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.38 in men) in these subjects. Thus, presence of metabolic syndrome may not increase the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis independent of other cardiovascular risk factors in Japanese individuals with optimal, normal, or high-normal blood pressure.

Key Words: metabolism • carotid arteries • atherosclerosis • risk factor • hypertension, arterial