Study of prevalence and severity of atherosclerotic disease in extra cranial carotid arteries among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients using color doppler sonography- a one year hospital based cross sectional study

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that progresses gradually for several decades before symptoms and complications appear and by this time, the disease would have had irreversible histopathological changes. Diabetes mellitus is one of the major risk factors for developing cerebrovascular, coronary artery and peripheral arterial diseases. Higher incidence of stroke and myocardial infarction occurs at younger ages in diabetic patients as compared to non-diabetic patients. Hence, there is a need to detect the atherosclerotic changes by the accurate screening techniques at the beginning of the disease process. Accuracy, patient ease, reduced radiation risk has made carotid Doppler ultrasonography as a preliminary investigation in assessing extracranial carotid vessels because its accuracy is well established.2 Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) is considered the gold standard investigation in detecting atherosclerotic plaques. However, the invasiveness of the procedure and associated risk of permanent neurological complications is a necessity for alternate less invasive investigations. This study was done to assess the prevalence and severity of atherosclerosis in extracranial carotid arteries in diabetic patients using carotid Doppler ultrasonography with an aim to identify the deformity early, which will reduce the morbidity and mortality in the patients.