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. 2018 May;41(5):698-704.
doi: 10.1002/clc.22934. Epub 2018 May 12.

Relation between age and carotid artery intima-medial thickness: a systematic review

Inge C L van den Munckhof  1 , Helen Jones  2 , Maria T E Hopman  3 , Jacqueline de Graaf  1 , Jean Nyakayiru  3 , Bart van Dijk  3 , Thijs M H Eijsvogels  2   3 , Dick H J Thijssen  2   3
Affiliations

Relation between age and carotid artery intima-medial thickness: a systematic review

Inge C L van den Munckhof et al. Clin Cardiol. 2018 May.

Abstract

Carotid artery intima-medial thickness (cIMT) represents a popular measure of atherosclerosis and is predictive of future cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Although older age is associated with a higher cIMT, little is known about whether this increase in cIMT follows a linear relationship with age or it is affected under influence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) or CVD risk factors. We hypothesize that the relationship between cIMT and age is nonlinear and is affected by CVD or risk factors. A systematic review of studies that examined cIMT in the general population and human populations free from CVD/risk factors was undertaken. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Seventeen studies with 32 unique study populations, involving 10,124 healthy individuals free from CVD risk factors, were included. Furthermore, 58 studies with 115 unique study populations were included, involving 65,774 individuals from the general population (with and without CVD risk factors). A strong positive association was evident between age and cIMT in the healthy population, demonstrating a gradual, linear increase in cIMT that did not differ between age decades (r = 0.91, P < 0.001). Although populations with individuals with CVD demonstrated a higher cIMT compared to populations free of CVD, a linear relation between age and cIMT was also present in this population. Our data suggest that cIMT is strongly and linearly related to age. This linear relationship was not affected by CVD or risk factors.

Keywords: Aging; Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular Disease; Cardiovascular Risk; Wall Thickness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram with schematic presentation of the study assessment and exclusion stages. Abbreviations: PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relation between age and cIMT from 32 studied populations that included healthy asymptomatic individuals (n = 10,124). Each symbol represents a single studied population, with the size of the symbol being related to the sample size (eg, n = <250; n = 250–1000; n = >1000). Abbreviations: cIMT, carotid artery intima‐media thickness
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relation between age and cIMT from 115 studied populations that included individuals from the general population (n = 65,774). Each symbol represents a single studied population, with the size of the symbol being related to the sample size (eg, n = <250; n = 250–1000; n = >1000). Abbreviations: cIMT, carotid artery intima‐media thickness
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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