Correlation between some metabolic markers of vascular risk and carotid artery intima-media thickness in postmenopausal women.
AIM AND SETTING: This study investigated correlations between insulinemia, insulin sensitivity, body mass index, lipids and lipoproteins with intima-media thickness in a group of 25 (age range 40-55 years) postmenopausal women (minimum duration of menopause 2 years) not on hormone replacement treatment.


METHODS
Uni and multivariate correlations showed a direct relationship between insulin pattern, insulin sensitivity, body mass index, low density lipoproteins and increased intima-media thickness.


RESULTS
Our multivariate correlation results revealed that intima-media thickness is influenced by the associations of the different metabolic functions investigated. Therefore, carotid wall intima-media thickness represents a dependent variable in postmenopausal women for some metabolisms whose dysfunction leads to atherosclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
This multielement synergy is able to detect cardiovascular risk and may underlie cardiovascular mortality in postmenopausal women.
Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. ssignore@unict.it
Salvatore Santo
SS
Signorelli
Salvatore
S
Sciacchitano
Vito
V
Borzì
Luigi
L
Di Pino
Maria Pia
MP
Costa
Daniele
D
Digrandi
Giuseppe
G
Pennisi
Giuseppe
G
Marchese
Nunziata
N
Cassibba
Gabriella
G
Celotta
Concetta
C
Libertini
Benedetto
B
Torrisi
Sarina
S
Caschetto
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018579:Patient Selection; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D005340:Fibrinogen