Szegedi , IstvánLóczi, LindaAyman Yahya, Dinay2026-05-262026-05-262025-10-07https://hdl.handle.net/2437/407390Carotid atherosclerosis is a major cause of ischemic stroke, influenced by risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes, and obesity, which promote vascular dysfunction and plaque progression. While platelet function and atherosclerosis have been extensively studied, the link between atherosclerosis extent and coagulation activation remains unclear. Aim: To investigate the association between carotid stenosis, peripheral atherosclerosis, and hypercoagulability, as assessed by the thrombin generation assay. Methods: In this pilot study, 30 patients from the Department of Neurology without acute thrombotic disease were enrolled. Carotid stenosis was evaluated by Doppler ultrasonography and classified as mild (1–49%) or advanced (50–100%). Peripheral atherosclerosis was assessed using the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Thrombin generation was measured in platelet-free plasma. Demographics, comorbidities, and medication use were recorded. Results: No significant association was found between thrombin generation parameters and carotid stenosis severity. However, patients with advanced stenosis had significantly lower ABI values than those with mild stenosis (left ABI: 1.09 ± 0.18 vs. 0.94 ± 0.19, p = 0.039; right ABI: 1.11 ± 0.17 vs. 0.86 ± 0.19, p = 0.001), suggesting greater systemic atherosclerotic burden. In the mild stenosis group, triglyceride levels inversely correlated with CRP (r = −0.5581, p = 0.0328). Across the entire cohort, peak thrombin and endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) positively correlated with CRP (r = 0.3802, p = 0.0382; r = 0.3753, p = 0.0410). Time to peak also correlated with triglycerides in both the advanced stenosis group (r = 0.653, p = 0.008) and the full cohort (r = 0.501, p = 0.005). Conclusion: These findings suggest that localized carotid atherosclerosis is not directly linked to systemic thrombin generation. Conversely, ABI, reflecting systemic atherosclerotic burden, was significantly associated with advanced carotid stenosis, highlighting its value as a complementary diagnostic tool. The observed correlations indicate a complex interplay among lipid metabolism, inflammation, and coagulation in patients with atherosclerosis.48enStrokeCarotid artery diseasePeripheral artery diseaseAtherosclerosisMedicineHozzáférhető a 2022 decemberi felsőoktatási törvénymódosítás értelmében.