Thus, as the degree of carotid stenosis increased, the expression of H-FT, L-FT, and TfR1 in plaques increased, but the corresponding serum iron metabolism indexes did not have the same incremental trend, which suggests that, with the progression of carotid atherosclerotic disease, the changes in serum iron metabolism indexes may not be the same as those in the expression of iron metabolizing proteins in plaques. This evidence concerns the gene TFRC and carotid atherosclerosis.