CORRELATION BETWEEN CAROTID ARTERY DOPPLER FINDINGS AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Background: The assessment of carotid artery abnormalities by Doppler ultrasonography provides a noninvasive means of detecting subclinical atherosclerosis and evaluating vascular changes associated with hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Objectives: To determine the correlation between carotid artery Doppler findings and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with hypertension.

Study Design & Setting: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Cardiology in collaboration with the Department of Radiology at Akhter Saeed Medical and Dental College, Lahore from Nov 2025 to April 2026.

Methodology: A total of 120 hypertensive patients aged 30–80 years of either gender was enrolled through non-probability consecutive sampling. Demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors including smoking, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, body mass index, duration of hypertension, and family history of cardiovascular disease were recorded. All patients underwent carotid artery Doppler ultrasonography for assessment of intima-media thickness, plaque formation, and carotid stenosis. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, and correlations were determined using Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation coefficients. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.8±10.9 years and 56.7% were males. Abnormal carotid Doppler findings were present in 55.8% of patients. Increased carotid intima-media thickness, carotid plaque, and carotid stenosis ≥50% were observed in 43.3%, 32.5%, and 15.0% of patients, respectively. Significant positive correlations were found between carotid Doppler abnormalities and age, duration of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking status, and body mass index (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Carotid artery Doppler abnormalities were common among hypertensive patients and were significantly associated with conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Age, duration of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and smoking were important determinants of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.