Correlation between Residual Cholesterol and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Menopausal Women

Abstract

Background Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) is a significant indicator of early systemic atherosclerosis. Previous studies have demonstrated a close relationship between elevated remnant cholesterol (RC) levels and the pathogenesis of CAS. However, limited information is available regarding the association between RC and the development of CAS in menopausal women. Objective To investigate the correlation between RC and the pathogenesis of CAS in menopausal women. Methods A total of 307 menopausal women from Fengxiang Town, Anding District, Dingxi City were selected as the research subjects. These women had participated in the national high-risk stroke screening project and completed carotid artery ultrasound examination between January 2020 and October 2023. General information on the ordinary people was collected and participants' characteristics of the carotid artery intima were analyzed by means of using color doppler ultrasound. Based on the cervical ultrasound results, the subjects were divided into CAS group and non-CAS group. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between RC and other risk factors for CAS. Furthermore, multifactor Logistic regression was employed to analyze and explore the correlation between RC and CAS in menopausal women. Results The findings revealed that participants in the CAS group (n=130) has higher levels than those in the non-CAS group (n=177) in terms of menopausal female age, history of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), RC and pulse pressure (P<0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between RC and FPG as well as TC (rs=0.113, 0.280, P<0.05), while a negative correlation was observed with LDL-C (rs=-0.112, P<0.05). Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis identified high RC levels (OR=1.539, 95%CI=1.185-1.999, P=0.001), age (OR=1.059, 95%CI=1.003-1.117, P=0.038), and history of stroke and TIA (OR=1.910, 95%CI=1.047-3.485, P=0.035) as risk factors for the onset of CAS in menopausal women. The menopausal women were further divided into high RC (RC≥0.70 mmol/L, n=155) and low RC (RC<0.70 mmol/L, n=152) groups based on the median RC. The high RC group had a higher proportion of women with dyslipidemia, CAS, waist circumference, BMI, and TG compared to the low RC group (P<0.05). Additionally, the high RC group had lower levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) compared to the low RC group (P<0.05) . Conclusion High RC levels are associated with CAS in menopausal women and may be an independent risk factor for CAS in menopausal women.

Keywords

• carotid atherosclerosis|menopausal women|remnant cholesterol|correlation|logistic regression analysis|dingxi city