To evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis in Nunavik Inuit and its correlation to traditional cardiovascular disease risk factor.
The intima-media thickness (IMT) of 12 segments of the carotid arteries (IMT(12_seg)) free of plaque were assessed in randomly selected 40 years old and older Inuit from. Clinical assessment was performed which included fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, systemic blood pressure, body mass index, smoking, circulating blood lipids and oral glucose tolerance test. In addition, documented presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia were determined from medical files.
The average age of the 287 participants was 51.2 ± 0.6 years (56.8% women). Mean IMT(12_seg) was 0.80 ± 0.17 mm (range: 0.55-1.47 mm). Compared with disease free Inuit, individuals with history of stroke showed greater carotid internal IMT (0.68 ± 0.01 mm vs. 0.96 ± 0.15 mm respectively; p