ABSTRACT
It is possible to hypothesize that carotid plaque stability is influenced not only by local but also by systemic factors, the so-called 'major’ atherosclerotic risk factors (cigarette smoking, hypertension, high serum cholesterol and its fractions, low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), diabetes mellitus). 25-38 The different risk factors may influence the local inflammatory response and the histological plaque composition, 17,18,39-41 inducing carotid plaque progression from stable to unstable.
