Metabolic syndrome as independent determinant of carotid intima-media thickness in both sexes
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The presence of a metabolic syndrome has previously been associated with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT; a non-invasive marker of subclinical atherosclerosis) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to examine metabolic syndrome as a determinant of CIMT in men and women and to compare the Framingham risk score (FRS) and metabolic syndrome as risks factors for increased carotid atherosclerosis. To this end, data from 1353 Finnish men and women participating in the Finnish population-based Health 2000 Survey were used. Multivariable model analysis revealed that, in both sexes, metabolic syndrome (NCEP ATP III) was an independent determinant of CIMT. After including metabolic syndrome along with its components in the regression model, it remained an independent determinant of CIMT in women but not in men. When dividing the population into risk categories according to FRS and metabolic syndrome, FRS predominantly determined CIMT regardless of the presence of metabolic syndrome in men. Triglycerides levels were independently associated with CIMT in men. In women, independently of the FRS, CIMT was significantly higher in subjects with metabolic syndrome than in those without. In conclusion, the associations between metabolic syndrome, FRS and early atherosclerosis are modified by sex, with metabolic syndrome being an independent determinant of CIMT in both sexes, whereas this association was independent of its components only in women.
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