Relationship between carotid artery intima-media thickness and cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese Uygur population

Aims: To investigate the relationships between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and conventional cardiovascular risk factors in Uygur population. Methods: In totally 226 Uygur subjects, common carotid IMT values were detected, and the anthropometric and laboratory measurements were recorded. Results: Correlation analysis showed that the factors of age, BMI, SBP, DBP, PP, hypertension, TC, LDL-C, TG, Apo B, diabetes mellitus, glucose, smoking status, creatinine, IHD, and stroke were significantly and positively associated with carotid IMT in Uygur males. In Uygur females, significant positive associations with carotid IMT were observed for age, BMI, SBP, DBP, PP, hypertension, TC, LDL-C, TG, diabetes mellitus, glucose, IHD, and stroke, and a significant inverse association was found for HDL-C. Multiple regression analyses suggested that LDL-C, age, TG, creatinine, BMI, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were independently associated with carotid IMT in Uygur males. However, for carotid IMT in Uygur females, SBP, age, TG, HDL-C, BMI, and diabetes were independent determinants. Conclusion: Carotid artery IMT could be used as a predictive tool for atherosclerotic lesions and cardiovascular diseases in Uygur population, which might contribute to the prevention and management of the local disease.