Risk factors of subclinical atherosclerosis in obesity and overweight

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of carotid intima-media thickness with weight-gain, overweight and obesity.. Methods: The experimental, analytical study was conducted at the CF University Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, from 2012 to 2014, and comprised randomly selected in patients from the Medical Ward. The patients were divided into normal-weight subjects in Group I and overweight and obese subjects in Group II Intimate-media thickness was measured by carotid Doppler ultrasound. Data was analysed using SPSS 13. RESULTS: Of the 111 subjects, Group I had 27(%) and Group II had 84(%) subjects. Mean carotid intimamedia thickness was significantly greater (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intima-media thickness was found to be increased in asymptomatic overweight and obese subjects, significantly higher in those with associated metabolic syndrome and high levels of highsensitivity C-reactive protein, as an indication of the presence of early, subclinical atherosclerosis.