HRs of ICVD events in relation to carotid IMT, total area, number of plaques and number of segments with plaque among all participants
| Ultrasound variables | Events/sample size | HR (95% CI) | ||
| Unadjusted | Age- and sex- adjusted | Multivariable- adjusted* | ||
| IMT (mm) in quartiles | ||||
| Quartile 1 (<0.66) | 9/434 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Quartile 2 (0.66–0.71) | 14/392 | 1.75 (0.76 to 4.04) | 1.53 (0.66 to 3.55) | 1.31 (0.56 to 3.08) |
| Quartile 3 (0.72–0.78) | 25/445 | 3.00 (1.40 to 6.43) | 2.39 (1.09 to 5.22) | 2.04 (0.92 to 4.50) |
| Quartile 4 (≥0.79) | 33/463 | 4.56 (2.18 to 9.55) | 3.06 (1.37 to 6.81) | 2.30 (1.02 to 5.21) |
| p for trend | <0.001 | 0.004 | 0.041 | |
| Per 1 SD (0.10) increase | 81/1734 | 1.56 (1.30 to 1.88) | 1.37 (1.11 to 1.70) | 1.27 (1.02 to 1.59) |
| Total area (mm2) of plaques | ||||
| No plaque | 31/1043 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tertile 1 (<12.0) | 13/240 | 1.79 (0.94 to 3.42) | 1.56 (0.81 to 3.02) | 1.51 (0.78 to 2.92) |
| Tertile 2 (12.0–29.9) | 12/208 | 2.33 (1.20 to 4.54) | 1.90 (0.95 to 3.78) | 1.71 (0.85 to 3.44) |
| Tertile 3 (≥30.0) | 25/243 | 4.44 (2.61 to 7.53) | 3.19 (1.74 to 5.83) | 2.70 (1.47 to 4.96) |
| p for trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | |
| Per 1 SD (31.3) increase | 81/1734 | 1.36 (1.24 to 1.50) | 1.28 (1.15 to 1.43) | 1.23 (1.10 to 1.38) |
| Number of plaques | ||||
| 0 | 31/1043 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 1 | 19/335 | 2.04 (1.16 to 3.62) | 1.77 (0.98 to 3.18) | 1.63 (0.91 to 2.95) |
| 2 | 6/167 | 1.40 (0.58 to 3.35) | 1.10 (0.45 to 2.70) | 1.03 (0.42 to 2.54) |
| ≥3 | 25/189 | 5.57 (3.28 to 9.45) | 4.03 (2.21 to 7.35) | 3.46 (1.89 to 6.35) |
| p for trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | |
| Per 1 plaque increase | 81/1734 | 1.27 (1.17 to 1.37) | 1.21 (1.11 to 1.32) | 1.17 (1.07 to 1.28) |
| Number of segments with plaque | ||||
| 0 | 31/1043 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 1 | 20/380 | 1.91 (1.09 to 3.34) | 1.63 (0.91 to 2.90) | 1.52 (0.85 to 2.72) |
| 2 | 15/203 | 2.99 (1.61 to 5.54) | 2.20 (1.13 to 4.30) | 2.04 (1.04 to 3.98) |
| ≥3 | 15/108 | 5.87 (3.16 to 10.89) | 4.23 (2.15 to 8.33) | 3.51 (1.76 to 7.01) |
| p for trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | |
| Per 1 segment increase | 81/1734 | 1.70 (1.43 to 2.01) | 1.53 (1.26 to 1.86) | 1.44 (1.19 to 1.75) |
↵* Adjusting for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, body mass index, current smoking status and total and HDL cholesterol levels.
ICVD, ischaemic cardiovascular disease; IMT, intima-media thickness.