Relationship between coronary atherosclerotic stenosis and cerebral atherosclerotic stenosis

Objective To investigate the relationship between severity of cerebrovascular atherosclerosis stenosis and that of coronary atherosclerosis stenosis. Methods Cerebral angiography and coronary angiography were performed in 34 patients who had coronary disease with cerebral ischemia. Patients were divided into 3 subgroups according to the degree of stenosis on angiography, concomitant diseases, risk factors and biochemical data. Results The follow-up study showed that the incidence of cardiac and cerebrovascular death increased significantly in patients with moderate to severe stenosis of coronary and cerebral arteries; the severity of stenosis in the coronary artery parallels that in the solitary carotid artery, or dual carotid and vertebral arteries. Conclusions Patients with coronary and cerebral artery stenosis, especially those with multi-risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes and cigarette smoking, should receive intensive treatment to reduce cardiac and cerebrovascular events.