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Extra‐medial thickness of carotid artery in patients with Behçet's disease: evaluation of atherosclerotic vessel wall changes with a novel carotid artery ultrasound index
Author(s) -
Sereflican Betul,
Kizildag Betul,
Halicioglu Sıddıka,
Goksugur Nadir,
Tuman Bengu,
Dagistan Emine
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/ijd.13324
Subject(s) - medicine , subclinical infection , cardiology , intima media thickness , endothelial dysfunction , common carotid artery , ultrasound , carotid arteries , ultrasonography , correlation , artery , lipid profile , surgery , radiology , cholesterol , geometry , mathematics
Objectives Chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are the characteristic features of Behçet's disease ( BD ). We researched carotid extra‐medial thickness ( cEMT ), a novel ultrasound parameter for atherosclerotic vessel wall changes, and carotid intima media thickness ( cIMT ), a widely accepted marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, in patients with BD , and we evaluated the relationship between these two parameters. Materials and methods In total, 31 patients with BD were matched to 26 control subjects based on age, gender, and major cardiovascular risk factors. Laboratory parameters, including lipid profile, were measured for both patients and controls. B‐mode ultrasonography was used to assess the cEMT and cIMT . Results There was no significant difference in the cEMT values between the patients with BD and the control group ( P = 0.90). cIMT in the BD group was significantly higher compared with the control group ( P = 0.021). There was a significant positive correlation between cIMT and cEMT ( r = 0.585, P = 0.001). Both cEMT and cIMT were positively correlated with age and the presence of arthritis. There was linear correlation with sedimentation, C‐reactive protein, and cEMT . Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate both cEMT and cIMT in BD . This study presents morphological evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis in terms of cIMT . Although there was no significant increment in cEMT , it has the potential to assess endothelial dysfunction in BD . Further studies are required to confirm this finding.