Percentile distribution of carotid Intima-Media thickness in the general working-age population

Objective. To study the gender- and age-specific percentile distribution of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in the unorganized urban working-age population.Material and Methods. Presented data were obtained in the ESSE-RF study in the city of Tomsk (1,412 participants, 25-64 years old without cardiovascular diseases, 59% women). All the surveyed signed voluntary informed consent form to participate in the study. We studied distributions of the mean and maximum cIMT obtained by the automatic and manual measurements, respectively. An error probability of less than 5% was considered statistically significant.Results. Both indicators of cIMT consistently increased with age in both gender groups. Maximum cIMT (max-cIMT) increased stronger than the mean cIMT (mean-cIMT). Compared with data obtained in other studies, the mean-cIMT estimates were distributed closer to the upper pole of the spectrum presented and increased stronger in 35-55-year-old men compared with those in the populations of Central and Southwestern Europe; the mean-cIMT estimates showed the most pronounced gender effect. Similar trends were identified in relation to the max-cIMT distribution.Conclusion. Obtained data allowed for specific assessment of the individual cIMT values by gender and age within the framework of risk stratification among people of working age without cardiovascular diseases. Further studies aimed at clarifying the prognostic role of high cIMT values in general population, taking into account the influence of traditional and new cardiovascular risk factors, can broaden the understanding of the significance of vascular state assessment as one of the key points, linking risk factors to clinical events, for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in population.