Do cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence predict adult carotid artery intima-media thickness?
Exposure to cardiovascular risk factors during adolescence independently predicts structural arterial changes (increased IMT) in adulthood, emphasizing the need for early cardiovascular prevention.
Risk factor profile assessed in 12- to 18-year-old adolescents predicts adult common carotid artery IMT independently of contemporaneous risk factors. These findings suggest that exposure to cardiovascular risk factors early in life may induce changes in arteries that contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Raitakari et al. (Wed,) studied this question.