Carotid Artery Intima–Media Thickness Predicts Major Cardiovascular Events During 7-Year Follow-Up in 64-Year-Old Women Irrespective of Other Glucometabolic Factors

Abstract

Cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most CV events are caused by atherosclerosis. Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance are associated with greater carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and increased risk for CVD. The present study examined if common carotid artery IMT (CCAIMT) is predictive of CVD irrespective of glucose tolerance category and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in a sample of 639 women with different glucose tolerance categories. During 7-year follow-up, 30 events in the cardiac and 32 events in the cerebral territory were documented. Unadjusted Cox hazard models showed that CCAIMT, glucose tolerance category, and HbA1c were associated with increased risk. An adjusted and extended model, including CCAIMT, glucose tolerance category, and HbA1c, showed that CCAIMT was still associated with events with an almost unchanged hazard ratio. In conclusion, this study suggests that CCAIMT is predictive of major CV events during 7-year follow-up, irrespective of glucose tolerance category, HbA1c, and other established risk factors in a cohort of 64-year-old women.

Insulin resistance is associated with subclinical vascular disease in humans

“…A systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that carotid intima-media thickness is a strong independent predictor of future vascular events, although data for younger individuals are limited[89]. A prospective cohort study of women shows that increased carotid intima-media thickness predicts cardiovascular events during 7-year follow-up regardless of glucose tolerance and other cardiovascular risk factors[90]. In a systematic review, population groups with cardiovascular disease had a higher carotid intima-media thickness compared to population groups free of cardiovascular disease[55].…”

Carotid Artery Plaques, Carotid Intima–Media Thickness, and Risk of Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Death in Older Adults: A 5-Year Prospective, Community-Based Study

“…[7][8][9][10][11] Carotid artery stenosis, plaques, and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) detected by B-mode ultrasonography were found to be reliable markers for future CVD in middle-aged and elderly populations. 9,10,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] However, most studies were from Europe, the United States, or South Korea. Although several recent prospective cohort studies have reported the associations of CAS and CVD in China, less attention has been paid to this association in older adults.…”