Obesity is a risk factor for significant carotid atherosclerosis in patients aged 39 to 55 years.

We compared the prevalence of risk factors between young and old individuals with significant carotid atherosclerosis. We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients aged 39 to 55 years (group I) and aged ≥ 60 years (group II) with significant atherosclerotic stenosis at the carotid bifurcation. Group I patients had significantly higher values for the following factors: weight, height, body mass index, diastolic pressure, prevalence of current smoking, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and significant lower values for systolic pressure, creatinine, and prevalence of coronary artery disease.