Sonographic Determination of Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness among Apparently Healthy Adults in Kano Metropolis 0 1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/sjhrs.vol1no1.13Keywords:
Carotid intima-media thickness, ultrasonography, common carotid artery, healthy adultsAbstract
Background: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a non-invasive ultrasonographic marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and an established predictor of future cardiovascular events. However, normative CIMT data among apparently healthy adults in Northern Nigeria remain limited, restricting its clinical application for cardiovascular risk assessment.
Aim: This study was aimed at evaluating common carotid intima-media thickness and its relationship with demographic, anthropometric, haemodynamic, biochemical, and metabolic parameters among apparently healthy adults in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study included 85 apparently healthy adults (43 males and 42 females) aged 30–60 years recruited from selected hospitals in Kano metropolis between January 2025 and April 2026. Anthropometric indices, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, and serum creatinine were measured using standard procedures. Right (RCIMT), left (LCIMT), and mean carotid intima media thickness (mCIMT) were assessed using high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography with a 7.5-MHz linear transducer. Data were analysed using independent-samples t-test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. The participants had a mean age of 44.42±7.22 years. The overall mean right, left, and mean common carotid intima-media thicknesses (RCIMT, LCIMT, and mCIMT) were 0.59±0.02 mm, 0.59±0.02 mm, and 0.59±0.02 mm, respectively. No significant sex differences were observed in RCIMT (p = 0.538), LCIMT (p = 0.622), or mCIMT (p = 0.573). Mean CIMT increased progressively across age groups, from 0.57±0.02 mm among participants aged 30–39 years to 0.61±0.01 mm among those aged 50–60 years. Pearson's correlation analysis demonstrated a strong positive association between age and mCIMT (r = 0.670, p < 0.001) and a weak positive association between triglyceride levels and mCIMT (r = 0.261, p = 0.016). No significant correlations were observed between mCIMT and anthropometric, haemodynamic, glycaemic, lipid (except triglycerides), or renal function parameters. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that none of the evaluated clinical variables independently predicted mCIMT after adjustment for potential confounders (p > 0.05)
Conclusion: Normative value of common carotid intima-media thickness among apparently healthy adults in Kano Metropolis was established. No significant sex- or side-related differences. There was no significant relationship between mCIMT and demographic, anthropometric, haemodynamic, glycaemic, lipid, or renal variables
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