Relationship Between Carotid Atherosclerosis And Phlegm-blood Stasis Syndrome Of Essential Hypertension

Objective:To study the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome of essential hypertension(EH). Methods: Between January 2009 and December 2009, 150 EH patients(70 Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome patients and 80 Non- Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome patients) and 20 patients with non- hypertension diseases(control group)were enrolled。The diagnostic crite -rion of thickened carotid intima was set as 1.0mm≤intima-media thickness(IMT)<1.2mm. Carotid atherosclerosis was divided into three levels: normal intima, thickened intima,and plaque formation.The color Doppler ultrasonography data of caroti arteries in all patients were analyzed and the severity of carotid atherosclerosis was compared with three groups.Results:In the Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group, 14(20%) patients had normal carotid intima,13(18.6%) had thickened carotid intima,and 43(61.4%)had carotid plaque.In the Non- Phlegm -Blood Stasis Syndrome group,31(38.75%) patients had normal carotid intima, 14(17.5%) had thickened carotid intima,and 35(43.75%)had carotid plaque.In control group,17(85%) patients had normal carotid intima,1(5%)had ma thickened carotid intima,and 2(10%)had carotid plaque.The severity of carotid atheros - clerosis in the EH group was higher than that in the control group. The severity of carotid atherosclerosis in Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group was higher than that in Non- Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group(H=25.357,P<0.001).There was significant difference in the constitution of carotid plaque between the EH groups (P=0.004<0.05); the Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group had the soft plaque (18/43, 41.9%), whereas the Non-Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group had the soft plaque (4/45, 11.4%).The first three common locations of carotid plaque in both EH groups were carotid sinus (Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group: 62.7%;the Non-Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group: 63.4%), internal carotid artery (Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group: 20.3%;the Non-Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group: 19.5%),and common carotid artery(Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group: 17%;the Non-Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group:17.1%).There was no difference in the carotid inner diameter or resistance index between the two groups(P<0.05).Conclusions: EH patients have unusual expression on the carotid atherosclerosis and blood flow rate invarying degree, specially patients of Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome, the incidence of the soft plaque of Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group was higher than Non- Phlegm-Blood Stasis Syndrome group.