Influence of a family history of type 2 diabetes, demographic and clinical data on carotid intima-media thickness in patients with type 1 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

Background Intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery is a surrogate end point of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Identifying the factors associated with a higher IMT may contribute to the identification of subjects with higher CVD risk. Our objective was to compare the common carotid IMT of type 1 diabetes patients to healthy control subjects. The secondary objective was to determine factors associated with a higher carotid IMT. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study between March 2009 and October 2013, comprising 127 type 1 diabetes patients and 125 control subjects matched by age, gender and body mass index (BMI). Carotid IMT was measured using semi-automated edge detection software. Results Type 1 diabetes patients had a higher median IMT compared with control subjects (0.538; IQR: 0.500-0.607 vs 0.513 mm; IQR: 0.481-0.557, respectively p = 0.001). Women with type 1 diabetes had a higher median IMT difference compared to the control group (0.537; IQR: 0.495-0.596 vs 0.502 mm; IQR: 0.472-0.543, respectively p = 0.003) than did men with type 1 diabetes (0.547; IQR: 0.504-0.613 vs 0.528 mm; IQR: 0.492-0.575, respectively p = 0.2). Age and diabetes duration had an additive effect on the IMT of type 1 diabetes patients. Multivariate gamma regression model analysis showed that in type 1 diabetes patients, the IMT was associated with age (Exp (β) = 1.006, p