Early prevention of subclinical atherosclerosis in healthy and obese children–Establishment of standard values for carotid intima-media thickness in children

Purpose: Non-invasive diagnostics of subclinical atherosclerosis are essential for screenings and interventional purposes [1–4]. However, little information exists on the age and sex distribution of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in pediatrics. Therefore, the objectives were firstly, to acquire age-specific IMT norm values in healthy children and adolescents. Secondly, to examine if IMT is enlarged in obese patients, further to investigate the effect of an intervention on the vessel wall. Thirdly, to analyze associations between IMT and cardiovascular risk factors. Patients and methods: Examination of 267…