Ultrasonographically Assessed Maximum Carotid Artery Wall Thickness in Mexico City Residents and Mexican Americans Living in San Antonio, Texas

Measurements of carotid artery wall thickness are often used as a surrogate for atherosclerosis. However, few studies have performed these measurements in populations of Mexican origin. Since Mexicans in Mexico City consume high-carbohydrate diets and have carbohydrate-induced dyslipidemia (high triglyceride and low HDL cholesterol levels) compared with Mexican Americans living in San Antonio, Tex, we questioned whether they also had more atherosclerosis than San Antonio Mexican Americans. Mean maximum intimal-medial thickness (IMT) of the common (CCA) and internal (ICA) carotid arteries were measured in 867 subjects aged 35 to 64 years (40% men) in two Mexican-origin populations, one from San Antonio (n = 202) and the other from Mexico City (n = 665). IMT's in the two cities were compared, and their associations with cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed. Older age, male sex, high levels of total cholesterol, low levels of HDL cholesterol, and high systolic blood pressure were positively associated with both CCA IMT and ICA IMT. Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with ICA IMT. CCA and ICA IMTs in diabetic subjects were thicker than in nondiabetic subjects in both men and women (all P < = .05). CCA IMT was thicker in the San Antonio than the Mexico City subjects after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (0.81 versus 0.76 mm in men and 0.77 versus 0.71 mm in women; P < .001 for city difference). San Antonio men also had thicker ICA IMT than their counterparts in Mexico City (0.88 versus 0.83 mm), but the reverse was true for women (0.73 versus 0.77 mm; interaction between sex and city, P < .05). Our results indicate that men had higher carotid IMTs than women. CCA IMT was thicker in San Antonio Mexican Americans than in Mexico City residents. The differences in ICA IMTs between San Antonio and Mexico City were inconsistent. Thus, since Mexico City residents consume high-carbohydrate diets, the data do not support an atherogenic effect of such diets. The interaction between sex and city on ICA IMT deserves further study.