Carotid intima-media thickness in patients with Type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia

Both patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and with hypercholesterolemia have a more extensive and accelerated atherosclerosis with higher common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) values than the general population. The aim of this study was to compare the CIMT in polygenic hypercholesterolemia (HP; n=41: 30 females and 11 males, aged 52+/-15 yr) and in T2DM (n=43: 22 females and 21 males, aged 59+/-11 yr), with a duration of disease less than 5 yr and no evidence of coronary heart disease. A control group (C) of 40 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects was studied. We evaluated the CIMT on the far wall of the distal segment of the common carotid arteries on sites free of plaque. The mean of the CIMT measurements (Tmean; 9 on each side) and the maximal CIMT measured (Tmax) were used as the representative values for each subject. Tmax values were 0.96+/-0.2 mm and 0.82+/-0.2 mm in T2DM and HP, respectively, which were significantly higher than C (0.74+/-0.1 mm). Corresponding values of Tmean were 0.8+/-0.1 mm and 0.71+/-0.2 mm, both significantly higher than C (0.68+/-0.1 mm). In HP, both Tmax and Tmean values were positively correlated to age (p=0.0001 and p=0.0001, respectively), body mass index (BMI; p=0.05 and p=0.05, respectively), presence of hypertension (p=0.003 and p=0.0008, respectively) and fibrinogen (p=0.0009 and p=0.001, respectively); Tmean was also correlated to apolipoprotein B (ApoB; p=0.03). The multiple "stepwise" regression analysis revealed fibrinogen and age as the only significant determinants of Tmax and Tmean. In T2DM Tmax and Tmean were positively correlated to age only (p=0.04 and p=0.01, respectively). In conclusion, T2DM patients have a more accelerated atherosclerosis than subjects with HP. This is evident after a short duration of disease, probably for a longer latency period of disease and the presence of multiple risk factors.