Subclinical atherosclerosis, carotid intima-media thickness and the cardiovascular risk

The refinement and the improvement of the cardiovascular risk factors assessment became one of the high priorities in the global approach of cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies showed that increased carotid intima media thickness (IMT) is a relatively simple noninvasive marker of the global atherosclerotic disease, even in the asymptomatic stage. There is a strong link between IMT and both traditional and emerging cardiovascular risk factors, and IMT also predicts the occurrence of major cardiovascular events. Thus, IMT, as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, might improve the risk assessment in asymptomatic patients at risk.