Association of Ideal Cardiovascular Health with Carotid Intima-Media thickness (cIMT) in a Young Adult Population: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS)

Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) is associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to investigate the association of CVH metrics with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in young adults. A cross-sectional study was performed on 1295 adults, average age of 29.7 ± 4.0 years, selected among the participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). The participants were divided into two CVH groups: Ideal CVH and poor/intermediate CVH. Multivariate-adjusted linear regression was used to determine the association of ideal CVH score with cIMT. Multivariate-adjusted odd ratios (ORs) were calculated for high cIMT (≥95%percentile). Also, the independent effects of each ideal CVH metric on cIMT were analyzed. The prevalence of ideal CVH was 9.3% in the studied population, and the mean of cIMT was 0.55±0.09 mm. A 1-point increase in CVH score was associated with a decrease of 0.128 mm (Beta [SE] = -0.128 [0. 002], p