The real incidence of atherosclerotic lesions in carotid and peripheral arteries in coronary artery disease patients is not well known in Korea. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the prevalence of atherosclerotic involvement of the coronary, carotid, and peripheral arteries in each arterial disease patients. This study was also designed to evaluate the risk factors, the clinical characteristics of associated carotid artery stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease, and associated peripheral vascular disease in patients with coronary artery disease.

Between June 1996 and March 1998, 475 patients (369 males, 106 females, mean age 60±10 years) were studied. Three hundred and seventy-three patients who presented with ischemic symptoms were enrolled in the coronary artery disease group, 81 patients were enrolled in the peripheral vascular disease group due to presenting claudications, and 21 patients were enrolled in the carotid stenosis group due to presenting cerebrovascular symptoms. Coronary angiography was done by the routine method. Carotid angiography was performed at the aortic arch by the digital subtraction angiography method. Peripheral vascular angiography was taken from the suprarenal abdominal aorta to both femoral arteries.

1) Risk factors for coronary stenosis, peripheral vascular disease, and carotid stenosis: The risk factors were not different between coronary stenosis, peripheral vascular disease, and carotid stenosis groups, but smoking was more frequent among patients with peripheral vascular disease than in patients with coronary stenosis (p-value=0.001). 2) Coronary artery stenosis and carotid artery stenosis: The mean age of coronary artery patients with carotid stenosis was significantly older (p-value=0.006) than for patients without carotid stenosis. The prevalence of peripheral vascular disease was more common in patients with carotid stenosis than in patients without carotid stenosis. 3) Coronary artery stenosis and peripheral vascular disease: Carotid stenosis was more common inpatients with peripheral vascular disease than in patients without peripheral vascular disease in the coronary stenosis group. 4) Prevalence of coronary, carotid, and peripheral artery disease: In patients with coronary stenosis, the prevalence of carotid stenosis was 13.9% and that of peripheral vascular disease was 29.2%. In patients with peripheral artery stenosis, the prevalence of coronary stenosis was 45.7% and that of carotid artery disease was 33.3%. In patients with carotid stenosis, the prevalence of coronary stenosis was 81.0% and that of peripheral vascular disease was 52.4%.

Carotid artery disease and peripheral vascular disease developed concurrently with coronary artery disease in a significant proportion of patients. Therefore, routine angiography of peripheral and carotid arteries in patients with coronary artery disease is considered, especially in old age.