title: Gender difference in carotid intima-media thickness in type 2 diabetic patients: a 4-year follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Different population studies have reported gender difference in carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), which is proved to be a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. However, few longitudinal researches examine this gender difference in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Therefore, we prospectively analyzed CIMT in T2DM patients over a 4-year follow-up period.
  
  
  METHODS
  355 T2DM patients (mean age 59 years; 54.9% women) were included in the present study. CIMT were measured using Color Doppler ultrasound. CIMT was measured at baseline (CIMT) in 2006 and at follow-up in 2010. Biochemical and clinical measurements were collected at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean value of CIMT1 and CIMT2 were 0.740 ± 0.148 mm and 0.842 ± 0.179 mm, respectively. Men had higher CIMT than women both at baseline and at follow-up (CIMT1: 0.762 ± 0.149 vs 0.723 ± 0.146 mm, P = 0.0149; CIMT2: 0.880 ± 0.189 vs 0.810 ± 0.164 mm, P = 0.0002). Mean annual progression of CIMT (dCIMT) was 0.025 ± 0.022 mm/year. dCIMT was larger in men than in women (0.030 ± 0.025 vs 0.022 ± 0.019 mm, P = 0.0006). In multiple regression analyses, age was an independent risk factor of CIMT in both genders, while dCIMT was associated with age only in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender difference in CIMT was confirmed in T2DM patients. Moreover, impact of ageing on CIMT progression only existed in men, which might be the reason that gender difference in CIMT increased with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasonography, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Medical School, 197 Ruijin 2nd Road, Shanghai 200025, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yifei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhifang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color