Is Carotid Stenosis in Women a Gender-Related Condition?

Abstract Background: We set out to study, through ultrasound examinations, the carotid bifurcation in men and women with/without carotid stenosis to look for anatomical and electrophysiologic differences. We evaluated other variables to look for differences that might explain the dissimilar behavior of this disease in the two sexes and the presence and impact of risk factors. Methods: We examined 974 subjects aged 25 to 88 years (478 men and 496 women) in whom we considered heart rate, smoking status, and the presence of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. Ultrasound examination of the neck vessels included measurement of intimal medial thickness (IMT), vessel diameter, and outflow area/inflow area ratio. We established plaque location, echogenicity and echostructure, and the percentage of stenosis owing to plaque and measured systolic velocity, flow direction, and the depth of detection of these parameters. We used the apnea and hyperpnea test to assess cerebrovascular...