title: Prevalence and risk factors of carotid intima-media thickness in asymptomatic individual subjects in a tertiary care center in India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is increasingly identified as a marker of atherosclerosis and increased risk of cerebrovascular disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the prevalence of carotid IMT in asymptomatic Indian individuals, more than 40 years of age, and correlate it with other risk factors for cerebrovascular ischemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals attending outpatient services of Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, who were asymptomatic for cerebrovascular ischemia underwent detailed history and carotid Doppler examination. IMT on mid common carotid artery (CCA) was measured. All subjects' blood was taken for biochemical estimation of fasting blood sugar and total cholesterol levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 1,392 subjects, 571 (41%) had abnormal IMT and 821 (59%) had normal IMT. On comparison of the two groups, the factors significantly associated with abnormal IMT were mean older age (59 vs 50.7 years; P < 0.0001) and higher prevalence of hypertension (257 (45%) vs 236 (28.7%); P < 0.0001), diabetes (159 (27.8%) vs 139 (16.9%); P < 0.0001), and hypercholesterolemia (124 (21.7%) vs113 (13.7%); P = 0.0001). After adjustment with multiple logistic regression, significant predictors were age (odds 3.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5-4.1), male gender (odds 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-1.9), hypercholesterolemia (odds 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.0), hypertension (odds 1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.8), and diabetes (odds 1.3; 95% CI 1.0-1.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia to be independent risk factor for abnormal IMT in asymptomatic subjects over 40 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Nizams's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Subhash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaul
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Nizams's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Suvarna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alladi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Nizams's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Rukmini K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Mridula
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Clinical Research, Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Srinivasarao V C S
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Bandaru
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Caring Hands Neurocenter, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Demudu Babu
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Boddu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Darapureddy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anjanikumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Matapathi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umamashesh
keywords: Asymptomatic Indian subjects; IMT; risk factors