Cardiometabolic determinants of aortic and carotid intima-media thickness in adolescence




Laitinen, Tomi T.; Mikola, Hanna; Pahkala, Katja; Mykkänen, Juha; Rovio, Suvi P.; Niinikoski, Harri; Rönnemaa, Tapani; Viikari, Jorma S. A.; Jula, Antti; Lagström, Hanna; Salo, Pia; Nuotio, Joel; Ala-Korpela, Mika; Juonala, Markus; Magnussen, Costan G.; Raitakari, Olli T.

PublisherELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

CLARE

2025

Atherosclerosis

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

120218

406

9

0021-9150

1879-1484

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2025.120218(external)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2025.120218(external)

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/492302905(external)



Background and aims: Comprehensive longitudinal data in healthy populations on cardiometabolic determinants of arterial intima-media thickness (IMT), especially aortic IMT, in adolescence are lacking. We aimed to examine in detail how cardiometabolic risk factors associate with aortic and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in adolescence.

Methods: Participants (n = 522) were healthy individuals from Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project. IMT of the abdominal aorta and common carotid artery was measured repeatedly with ultrasonography at the age of 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 years. Data on cardiometabolic risk markers were available beginning from early childhood.

Results: Between ages 11 and 19 years, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels, insulin and insulin resistance indicated by homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), C-reactive protein, and smoking associated directly with aortic IMT. For carotid IMT, a direct association was found with BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and smoking. In multivariate analyses, BMI((3 = 5.49, SE = 1.01, P <0.0001) and HOMA-IR ((3 = 16.79, SE = 7.45, P = 0.02) remained as determinants of aortic IMT. Correspondingly, BMI((3 = 1.78, SE = 0.42, P < 0.0001) and systolic blood pressure ((3 = 0.38, SE = 0.10, P = 0.0001) determined carotid IMT. Participants with longitudinal aortic or carotid IMT above/equal the 80th percentile had higher BMI measured from infancy than their peers with longitudinal IMT below the 80th percentile.

Conclusions: In adolescence, several cardiometabolic risk factors associate with aortic IMT while these links are less evident for carotid IMT. Aortic IMT may serve as a more sensitive marker than carotid IMT of early vascular remodeling.


This work was supported by the Research Council of Finland, Grant/Award Number: 206374, 294834, 251360, 275595, 307996, 322112 and 357183; Juho Vainio Foundation; Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; Sigrid Juselius Foundation; Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation; Special Governmental Grants for Health Sciences Research and Turku University Hospital.


Last updated on 2025-10-06 at 15:55