title: Cardiovascular risk factors and thoracic aortic wall thickness in a general population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association of cardiovascular risk factors with wall thickness of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta in the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 1,176 individuals (523 women) 21-83 years old from the Study of Health in Pomerania without history of stroke or myocardial infarction. Aortic wall thickness (AWT) was determined by cine magnetic resonance imaging. The associations of AWT with the cardiovascular risk factors male sex, age, smoking, body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides were assessed by multivariable linear regression models, and interaction effects were tested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Male sex (β = .086, P < .001), age (β = .006, P < .001), and BMI (β = .013, P < .001) were positively associated with the AWT of the ascending aorta. Male sex (β = .105, P < .001), age (β = .006, P < .001), current smoker (β = .044, P = .010), BMI (β = .013, P < .001), and HDL-C (β = .057, P = .008) revealed a positive association with AWT of the descending aorta. LDL-C (β = -.024, P = .009; β = -.018, P = .010) was inversely associated with the AWT of the ascending and descending aorta, respectively. Triglyceride levels (β = .024, P = .027; β = .018, P = .024) showed a positive association with the AWT of the ascending and descending aorta, respectively, in men, but not in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Established cardiovascular risk factors, including male sex, older age, smoking, high BMI, and high triglyceride levels, were associated with increasing thoracic AWT of the ascending and descending aorta. High HDL-C and low LDL-C levels were correlated with AWT.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, Section SHIP-KEF, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: roberto.lorbeer@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lorbeer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quadrat
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens-Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dörr
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, Section SHIP-KEF, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Völzke
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lieb
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hegenscheid
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Birger
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mensel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides