Histological Features of Symptomatic Carotid Plaques in Relation to Age and Smoking

Abstract

Smoking is associated with a lower age at carotid endarterectomy suggesting that it may accelerate the development and/or progression of atherosclerosis. However, the mechanisms of plaque instability seem largely unrelated to smoking. Plaques from younger patients had greater inflammatory cell infiltration, whereas those from older patients had a larger lipid core, but there were no age trends in overall plaque instability suggesting the increased risk of stroke in the elderly with symptomatic carotid stenosis is due to other factors.