Value Of cIMT Research Articles

Lower Zinc Bioavailability May Be Related to Higher Risk of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Korean Adults

BackgroundThere is a proposed link between dietary zinc intake and atherosclerosis, but this relationship remains unclear. Phytate may contribute to this relationship by influencing zinc bioavailability.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to examine the relationship between zinc bioavailability and subclinical atherosclerosis in healthy Korean adults.Materials and MethodsThe present cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from the Korean multi-Rural Communities Cohort Study (MRCohort), which is a part of The Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). A total of 5,532 subjects (2,116 men and 3,416 women) aged 40 years and older were recruited from rural communities in South Korea between 2005 and 2010. Phytate:zinc molar ratio, estimated from a food-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) of 106 food items, was used to determine zinc bioavailability, and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured to calculate the subclinical atherosclerotic index.ResultsWe found that phytate:zinc molar ratio is positively related to cIMT in men. A higher phytate:zinc molar ratio was significantly related to an increased risk of atherosclerosis in men, defined as the 80th percentile value of cIMT (5th vs. 1st quintile, OR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.42-3.15, P for trend = 0.0009), and especially in elderly men (5th vs. 1st quintile, OR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.52-4.37, P for trend = 0.0021). We found a positive relationship between phytate:zinc molar ratio and atherosclerosis risk among women aged 65 years or younger. Phytate:zinc molar ratio was not found to be related to PWV.ConclusionsLower zinc bioavailability may be related to higher atherosclerosis risk.

Vitamin D deficiency, insulin resistance, and ventricular hypertrophy in the early stages of chronic kidney disease

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with markedly increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. This increase is not fully explained by traditional CV risk factors but may in part be mediated by nontraditional risk factors, such as inadequate vitamin D (vit D) levels and insulin resistance (IR). Although IR is shown in nondiabetic CKD, its association with vit D deficiency and vascular disease in this population is unknown and what this study aims to investigate. Materials and methods: The study comprised 67 patients with CKD (eGFR ≥ 30 mL/min) and 15 healthy controls matched for age and sex. The phlogosis indexes, vit D levels, IR, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were measured. Results: In our study, the mean value of LVMI and cIMT was significantly higher in patients with eGFR ≥ 30 mL/min compared with controls (p = 0.037 and p < 0.001). The IR and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels were increased in CKD patients, whereas the serum levels of vit D were significantly reduced (p = 0.044, p = 0.012, p = 0.038). A positive correlation was found between LVMI and IR (r = 0.704, p = 0.041) and a negative correlation was found between IR and vit D levels (r = −0.238, p = 0.031). Conclusions: In our study, IR and vit D deficiency were found to be independent predictors of left ventricular hypertrophy and atherosclerotic disease. Vitamin D deficiency and IR are thus associated with increased CV risk. More novel approaches to improving IR and vit D supplementation in the CKD population might lead to potential strategies for preventing excess CV mortality.

SAT0295 Comparison of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in patients with psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis alone and controls

BackgroundPatients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and cutaneous psoriasis alone (PsC) are known to have an increased risk of Cardiovascular (CV) disease. The increase of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (cIMT) in patients...

Association of automated carotid IMT measurement and HbA1c in Japanese patients with coronary artery disease

AimsThe purpose of this study was to evaluate whether carotid IMT (cIMT) identified using automated software is associated with HbA1c in Japanese patients with coronary artery disease. Methods370 consecutive patients (males 218; median age 69 years±11) who underwent carotid-US and first coronary angiography were prospectively analyzed. After ultrasonographic examinations were performed, the plaque score (PS) was calculated and automated IMT analysis was obtained with a dedicated algorithm. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to calculate the association between automated IMT, PS and HbA1c. ResultsThe mean value of cIMT was 1.00±0.47mm for the right carotid and 1.04±0.49mm for the left carotid; the average bilateral value was 1.02±0.43mm. No significant difference of cIMT was detected between men and women. We found a direct correlation between cIMT values and HbA1c (p=0.0007) whereas the plaque score did not correlate with the HbA1c values (p>0.05) ConclusionThe results of our study confirm that automated cIMT values and levels of HbA1c in Japanese patients with coronary artery disease are correlated whereas the plaque score does not show a statistically significant correlation.

Intima-media thickness predicts stroke risk in the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study in association with vascular risk factors, age and gender

Background and purposeIndividual risk stratification requires reliable information on preexisting vascular disease. The intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery (CIMT) is a non-invasively accessible marker of atherosclerosis, which can be used for risk evaluation. MethodsIn a sample of 3669 initially stroke-free subjects aged 45–75 years belonging to the population-based Heinz Nixdorf Recall cohort, the predictive value of CIMT for incident stroke was evaluated over 85.3 ± 17.4 months in addition to established risk factors. ResultsIn a multivariable Cox regression analysis with traditional cardiovascular risk factors including age, gender, systolic blood pressure, LDL and HDL, diabetes, body mass index, smoking and CIMT, CIMT was a moderate stroke predictor (hazard ratio = 1.20 per 0.1 mm, 95% confidence interval = 1.01–1.44; p = 0.043), additional to e.g. age (1.46 per 5 years, 1.21–1.75; p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (1.16 per 10 mm Hg, 1.04–1.30; p = 0.008) and current smoking (1.93, 1.12–3.31; p = 0.014). CIMT was associated with stroke risk in subjects above but not below 65 years. CIMT predicted stroke events in men, but not women. CIMT discriminated stroke incidence specifically in subjects belonging to the highest Framingham risk score tercile. ConclusionsCIMT is a moderate independent stroke predictor, which discriminates stroke incidence in subjects at high vascular risk.

Association of VKORC1 −1639 G > A polymorphism with carotid intima–media thickness in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aims Media calcification is a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Undercarboxylation of some vitamin K-dependent proteins, due to genetic polymorphisms of VKORC1, can lead to calcification. We examined a potential association between VKORC1 −1639 G > A polymorphism and T2DM and, also, the association of this polymorphism with carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT). Methods VKORC1 −1639 G > A polymorphism was determined in 299 T2DM patients and 328 controls of Caucasian origin using PCR–RFLP. cIMT was measured in a subgroup of 118 T2DM patients. Results The frequency of VKORC1 genotypes between diabetic and nondiabetic subjects differed significantly ( p = 0.01). VKORC1 genotype was associated with T2DM in an adjusted model (OR 1.36, p = 0.009). A statistically significant difference was observed in the maximum value of cIMT among different genotypes. VKORC1 −1639 G > A polymorphism was an independent predictor of cIMT ( p = 0.029) after adjusting for established risk factors. Conclusions The association between VKORC1 −1639 G > A polymorphism and risk of T2DM could be due to the higher prevalence of calcification in T2DM patients. This is supported by the independent association between VKORC1 −1639 G > A polymorphism and maximum cIMT in T2DM patients which is likely due to atherosclerosis characterized by increased calcification.