Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To contribute to the assessment of normal parameters of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in healthy adolescents.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through clinical, laboratory and ultrasound evaluation in 61 healthy adolescents. The inclusion criteria consisted of being in good health. The exclusion criteria were: presence or history of any chronic disease; being obese or overweight according to the World Health Organization (WHO) established criterion; continuous use of medication; or presenting a febrile condition or requiring medication within 48-hours prior to assessment. The pubertal stages were evaluated using the Tanner criteria. The high-resolution B-mode ultrasound examinations were performed according to the recommendations of the Consensus Statement from the American Society of Echocardiography Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Task Force.Results: Adolescents were 14±2.6 years old, 62.3% female, 19 (31%) at early puberty (Tanner II and III), and 38 (62%) at late puberty (Tanner IV and V). They presented normal clinical and laboratorial parameters. CIMT values were 0.46±0.04 to 0.55±0.04 mm on the right and 0.48±0.02 to 0.53±0.04 mm on the left, according to pubertal maturation. CIMT values increased significantly on the right and left sides, according to pubertal stage (p<0.001 and p=0.016), and maximum internal diameters of the common carotid artery (p<0.025 and p<0.003). It was higher in males compared to females.Conclusions: An increase in CIMT in the healthy adolescents group, according to both age, and the degree of pubertal maturation should be considered when evaluating adolescents in diagnostic procedures.
Highlights
Evidence for incipient atherosclerosis was found at very early ages suggesting that the pathophysiological basis of this disease begins in childhood, and that cardiovascular disease (CVD) could be prevented in some situations.[8,9]
There are few reports in the literature focusing on the distribution and determinants of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in healthy adolescents and doubts remain on the factors that influence carotid thickening.[13,14,15]
The present study aims to contribute to the assessment of normal parameters of the CIMT in healthy adolescents, using high-resolution ultrasound (US)
Summary
The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has become a standard surrogate marker of early vascular changes, and has been widely used in adults.[1,2] In pediatric cohorts, it has been associated with cardiovascular risk factors, such as a family history of hypercholesterolemia, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.[3,4,5,6,7]. It has been proposed that the measurement of CIMT should be introduced as a tool for detection and monitoring of target-organ damage in children with cardiovascular risk factors.[11,12]. There are few reports in the literature focusing on the distribution and determinants of CIMT in healthy adolescents and doubts remain on the factors that influence carotid thickening.[13,14,15]. The present study aims to contribute to the assessment of normal parameters of the CIMT in healthy adolescents, using high-resolution ultrasound (US)
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