Objective. To compare mean intima-media thickness (IMTmean) and the values of carotid and femoral atherosclerotic plaques and atherosclerotic load in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and in a control group matched for major risk factors for atherosclerosis. Subject and methods. The study included 30 patients with CHD aged 56-64 years (mean age 60 years) and 60 persons without CHD, who were identical in gender and comparable in age, smoking status, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein, the incidence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. A Samsung Medison MySono U6 ultrasound system was used to measure IMTmean, maximum % stenosis, total % stenosis, total plaque height, number of plaques in the carotid and femoral arteries in both groups. The data were given as median (25- 75th percentiles). Results. Comparison of the ultrasound parameters of atherosclerotic changes in the carotid arteries revealed no significant differences whereas that of these parameters in the femoral arteries showed that the CHD patients had significant increases in maximum stenosis - 3% (30-45% vs 26% (0-33%) in the control group (p=0.001)); total stenosis - 141% (67-164%) vs 32% (0-104%; р<0.001); total plaque height 12.06 mm (3.53-16.4 mm) vs 2.19 mm (0-9.60 mm; p=0.001), number of plaques 5 (2-6) vs 1 (0-3; р=0.001), IMTmean - 1.50 mm (0.80-2.09 mm) vs 0.88mm (0.67-1.58 mm; р=0.026). No significant differences were obtained for left artery IMTmean (р=0.087). Conclusion. In the CHD group, the magnitude of femoral atherosclerotic changes was higher in the majority of parameters whereas the evaluation of the carotid arteries displayed no differences.