[Carotid artery and femoral artery disease in asymptomatic patients with various types of hyperlipoproteinemias and in healthy persons].

The authors examined by means of the sonograph Siemens Quantum 2000 the carotid and femoral arteries of 21 controls and 91 asymptomatic subjects with different types of hyperlipoproteinaemia (HLP). 46 patients suffered from familial hypercholesterolaemia, another 19 patients with hypercholesterolaemia suffered from ischaemic heart disease, 21 patients had familial combined hyperlipoproteinaemia and 5 patients had familial dysbetalipoproteinaemia. In the controls no plaques or stenoses were detected. In the different groups with HLP plaques and stenoses on the carotid artery were found in 15-36%, on the femoral artery in 24-63%. In patients with HLP on the common carotid artery in different groups a detectable intima was found more frequently, a statistically highly significantly wider intima (0.73 +/- 0.17 mm to 0.84 +/- 0.31 mm) and a lower maximum rate (79 +/- 18 cm/s to 98 +/- 24 cm/s) than in controls (0.41 +/- 0.14 mm and 121 +/- 30 cm/s resp.). On the common carotid the authors found a significant direct correlation between age and the cholesterol level and between age and the width of the intima and an indirect correlation between age and the maximal rate. The differences in the width of the intima and maximum rate were preserved even when the groups were adjusted for age. Changes of the femoral artery were less marked.