title: Heritability of the femoral intima media thickness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The measurement of femoral intima-media thickness (IMT) is underutilized in the clinical practice, although it is a surrogate marker of cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  388 Hungarian and Italian twins (121 monozygotic, 73 dizygotic pairs) underwent bilateral B-mode sonography of femoral arteries. IMT was measured by semiautomated software, where available, or by calipers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within-pair correlation in monozygotic twins was higher than in dizygotics for each parameter. Age-, sex- and country-adjusted genetic effect accounted for 43.9% (95% confidence interval, CI 21.3%-65.2%) and 47.2% (95% CI, 31.4%-62.6%) of the variance of common and superficial femoral artery IMT, respectively, and unshared environmental effect for 56.1% (95% CI 34.6%-78.5%) and 52.8% (95% CI, 37.2%-68.5%). These results did not change significantly after correcting for body mass index or central systolic blood pressure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic factors have a moderate role in the determination of common and superficial femoral IMT; however, the influence of environmental (lifestyle) factors remains still relevant. Environmental factors may have a role in influencing the genetic predisposition for femoral vascular hypertrophy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University, 78/A Üllői Street, Budapest 1082, Hungary. Electronic address: bence.fejer@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bence
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fejer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University, 78/A Üllői Street, Budapest 1082, Hungary; Hungarian Twin Registry, 29 Erdélyi Street, Budapest 1212, Hungary. Electronic address: tarnoki2@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Adam D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Tarnoki
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University, 78/A Üllői Street, Budapest 1082, Hungary; Hungarian Twin Registry, 29 Erdélyi Street, Budapest 1212, Hungary. Electronic address: tarnoki4@gmail.com.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Tarnoki
authors.affiliation: Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomo-Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: pierleone.lucatelli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pierleone
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lucatelli
authors.affiliation: Central European University, 9 Nador Street, Budapest 1051, Hungary. Electronic address: levi@littvay.hu.
authors.forename: Levente
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Littvay
authors.affiliation: MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 18 Hataror Street, Budapest 1122, Hungary. Electronic address: maurovich.horvat@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maurovich-Horvat
authors.affiliation: MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 18 Hataror Street, Budapest 1122, Hungary. Electronic address: adam.jermendy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Adam L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jermendy
authors.affiliation: MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 18 Hataror Street, Budapest 1122, Hungary. Electronic address: kovatti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kovacs
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University, 78/A Üllői Street, Budapest 1082, Hungary. Electronic address: godorerika@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Godor
authors.affiliation: Genetic Epidemiology Unit, National Centre of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion; Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: corrado.fagnani@iss.it.
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fagnani
authors.affiliation: Genetic Epidemiology Unit, National Centre of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion; Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: stazi@iss.it.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stazi
authors.affiliation: MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 18 Hataror Street, Budapest 1122, Hungary; Research Group for Inflammation Biology and Immunogenomics of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, 44 Róbert Károly Krt., Budapest 1134, Hungary; Department of Cardiology, Military Hospital, 44 Róbert Károly Krt.., Budapest 1134, Hungary. Electronic address: molnandi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Andrea A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.affiliation: Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomo-Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: fabrizio.fanelli@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fanelli
authors.affiliation: Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomo-Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: dottcirelli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cirelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua School of Medicine, via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: farippo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua School of Medicine, via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: claudiobaracchini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baracchini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua School of Medicine, via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: giorgio.meneghetti@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meneghetti
authors.affiliation: Università di Perugia, Unità di Medicina Interna, Ospedale "S. Maria", Viale Tristano di Joannuccio, 1, 05100 Terni, Italy. Electronic address: giacomo.pucci@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pucci
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Bajcsy Zsilinszky Hospital, 89-91 Maglódi Street, Budapest 1106, Hungary. Electronic address: gyjermendy@mail.datanet.hu.
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jermendy
authors.affiliation: MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 18 Hataror Street, Budapest 1122, Hungary. Electronic address: merkely.bela@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bela
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Merkely
authors.affiliation: Università di Perugia, Unità di Medicina Interna, Ospedale "S. Maria", Viale Tristano di Joannuccio, 1, 05100 Terni, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppe.schillaci@unipg.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schillaci
authors.affiliation: Genetic Epidemiology Unit, National Centre of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion; Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: emanuela.medda@iss.it.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000235:genetics*; D015415:Biomarkers; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular risk; Circulation; Gene; Twins