The relationship between carotid intima-media thickness and global atherosclerosis.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between (i) carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) at baseline as well as (ii) change in CIMT over 5 years (∆CIMT) and atherosclerotically induced luminal narrowing in non-coronary arterial territories assessed by whole-body magnetic resonance angiography (WBMRA). Methods and results: In subgroups of the Prospective Investigation of Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, US measurements of CIMT in the common carotid arteries were analysed at 70 and 75 years and ∆CIMT was calculated (n = 272). WBMRA, assessing arterial stenosis in five different territories by which also a total atherosclerotic score (TAS) was calculated, was performed at 70 years (n = 306). Results: Carotid intima-media thickness in the carotid artery at baseline was correlated with TAS (P = 0·0001) when adjusted to a set of traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, as well as to stenosis in two of the different investigated territories (aorta and lower leg, P = 0·013 and P = 0·004), but there was no significant correlation between ∆CIMT and TAS (P = 0·41). Conclusions: In the present study, CIMT, but not ∆CIMT over 5 years, in the carotid artery was related to overall stenoses in the body, as assessed by WBMRA. These findings support CIMT as a general marker for atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]