Aim To compare the risk factors of small vessel disease(SVD) or its subtypes(lacunar infarction and leukoaraiosis) and carotid atherosclerosis(CAS),deduce the effect of CAS on SVD and provide data for early prevention and cure. Methods Data of age,hypertension,diabetes mellitus,smoking,blood fat,alcohol,fibrinogen(FIB),abdomen circumference and body mass index(BMI) were analysed in the patients with SVD(n=366),CAS(n=266) and controls.Patients with SVD were subdivided into lacunar infarction(LI) and leukoaraiosis(LA). Results A total of 506 patients met the inclusion criteria,among which,174 were lacunar cerebral infarction,192 were leukoaraiosis and 140 were normal.Among the 391 patients who were examined by color Duplex ultrasound,266 were found carotid atherosclerosis.①Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age,hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hypercholesterinemia,high low density lipoprotein(LDL) and smoking were more frequent in CAS group compared with the controls(P<0.05).In SVD group,hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hypercholesterinemia were more important.②Age(OR=1.07,95%CI 0.56～1.96,P<0.001),Hypertension(OR=2.28,95% CI 1.88～3.72,P<0.001) were more common in SVD than CAS;but hypercholesterinemia(OR=0.53,95% CI 0.23 ～ 1.22,P<0.001) was more important in CAS,high LDL and smoking were the risk factors of CAS but not SVD.③Age,hypertension were more important in LA than LI;on the contrary,hypercholesterinemia was more common in LI.④The pearson coefficient between SVD and CAS was 0.360,the incidence rate of CAS in LI was more frequent than LA. Conclusion ①There are some differences in risk factor profile between SVD and CAS,the same to LI and LA.②The incidence of CAS is related to SVD to some extent,the relationship of CAS with LI is closer than LA.