Association between carotid atherosclerosis and hemostatic markers in patients with cerebral small artery disease.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the association between carotid atherosclerosis and hemostatic markers, and to elucidate the difference in hemostatic markers between intima-media thickening and plaque formation in patients with cerebral small artery disease. We investigated carotid atherosclerosis by assessing diffuse intima-media thickness measurements and localized plaque using B-mode ultrasonography, and we measured the concentrations of plasma fibrinogen, beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 as markers for platelet activation, and the activity of plasma von Willebrand factor as a marker for endothelial damage. The intima-media thickness was significantly associated with age, male sex, the concentrations of plasma beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4, and the activity of plasma von Willebrand factor. The plaque score showed a significant association with male sex, the concentration of fibrinogen, and the activity of plasma von Willebrand factor. These results may indicate that underlying mechanisms are not the same between the intima-media thickness and plaque formation. We suggest that hemostatic markers could reflect the severity of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with cerebral small artery disease, and that preventive antiplatelet therapies against brain infarction might be necessary for patients with severe carotid atherosclerosis.