Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(1): 142-146  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.1.142
Correlation between the Intima-Media Thickness of Carotid Artery and Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases
In Seon Kim1, Jae Bum Cho1,* , Hong Tae Kim1, Ji Hyeong Jang2, Min Seo2, Heug Chun Keon2, Jee Hye Kang2
1Department of Family Medicine, Sungae Hospital, Seoul; 2Department of Family Medicine, Gwangmyeong Sungae Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
Jae Bum Cho
Tel: +82-2-840-7114, Fax: +82-2-840-7388
E-mail: jbjo@sungae.co.kr
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1580-0521
Received: September 1, 2016; Accepted: October 13, 2016; Published online: February 20, 2018.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: A significant correlation is known to exist between the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Using carotid artery ultrasonography, which is routinely available in a clinical setting, we aimed to determine the correlation between the carotid IMT and serum cholesterol and fasting blood glucose levels, blood pressure, waist circumference, smoking, family, and medical history of patients.
Methods: We studied 451 men and 238 women (age range, 30–65 years) who underwent a general medical check-up at the health screening center of a Sungae Hospital in Seoul between 2014 and 2015. Ultrasonographic examination of the carotid artery IMT and measurement of cardiovascular risk factors were performed in these individuals.
Results: Multivariate analysis showed that age and smoking were most strongly associated with carotid IMT. Additionally, a history of hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus, and gender (men) were found to show a stronger association with carotid IMT. A high IMT did not show a significant association with waist circumference, family history, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose individually, in this study.
Conclusion: These data suggest that several significant risk factors determine the existence and distribution of subclinical atherosclerosis. IMT is being widely recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Thus, measuring IMT in patients presenting with risk factors would be helpful to ensure that they receive appropriate management.
Keywords: Intima Media Thickness; Fasting Blood Glucose; Dyslipidemia; Waist Circumference; Smoking; Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus
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