Background: Coronary heart dis­ease commonly affects adults in most of the developed region of the globe. It is responsible for an extremly large fraction of hospital admissions among middle aged and elderly, contributing greatly to disability and death 0).
Aim: to study the cardiovascular risk factors for coronary artery dis­ease and their association with athe­rosclerosis in the aortic, carotid and femoral arteries. Also, it aimed to study the use of extra-coronary athe­rosclerosis for early prediction of cor­onary artery disease (CAD).
Methods: The study was conduct­ed during the year 2000 in the Cardi­ology Department at Tanta University Hospital.lt included 103 cases com­plaining of chest pain and other symp­toms related to coronary heart dis-307
ease and were divided into two groups according to examination by coronary angiography. Group 1(58 cases with CAD) and group II {45 control free of CAD). All patients un­derwent transesophageal echocardi-ography for assessment of aortic ath­erosclerosis and B-mode ultrasound for evaluation of the carotid and femo­ral atherosclerosis. Intima media thickness of more than 1 mm was considered a criterion for atheroscler­osis.
Results: There were significant as­sociation between CAD and the athe­rosclerosis in the three extra-coronary vessels (carotid, aortic & femoral). Some of the cardiovascular risk fac­tors were significantly recorded in subjects with atherosclerosis in the three extra-coronary sites including, old age, male gender, HDL, obesity, DM and triglycerides. A significant as-MANSOURA MEDICAL JOURNAL