title: Change of carotid intima-media thickness is associated with age in elderly Japanese patients without a history of cardiovascular disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the change of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and clinical characteristics in Japanese patients without a history of cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study participants were 149 Japanese patients without a history of cardiovascular disease treated in our outpatient department. The in all participants CIMT was measured with ultrasonography at baseline and after a mean interval of 2.4 years. Study participants were divided into a middle-aged group (younger than 65 years: n = 59) and an elderly group (65 years or older: n = 90). The annual CIMT change (ΔCIMT) was calculated, and the associations between ΔCIMT and clinical characteristics, including age, were evaluated in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ΔCIMT was significantly correlated with age in all participants (r = 0.222; P < 0.05) and in elderly participants (r = 0.234; P < 0.05), but was not correlated with other risk factors. The annual ΔCIMT was significantly higher in elderly participants (0.015 ± 0.096 mm) than in middle-aged participants (-0.018 ± 0.088 mm; P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis with ΔCIMT as a dependent variable and risk factors as independent variables showed that ΔCIMT was significantly associated with age in all participants (β = 0.002; P < 0.05) and in elderly participants (β = 0.004; P < 0.05), but not with other risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Annual CIMT change is associated with age, rather than with other clinical characteristics, including traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes and hypertension, in elderly Japanese patients without a history of cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Motoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kameda
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Susa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oizumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawanami
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenzo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hematology, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetology (DNHMED), Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002319:Cardiovascular System; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler
keywords: carotid intima-media thickness; carotid ultrasonography; diabetes; elderly; hypertension