Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has received interest as a predictor of cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes mellitus in recent years. Factors associated with carotid atherosclerosis are unclear in type 2 diabetic patients.

The aim of this study is to determinate the association of CIMT with risk factors of atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Prospective study conducted between November 2011 and February 2012. It involved 81 type 2 diabetic patients with a mean age of 53±7.9 years [36; 70]. A total of 60.5% of patients were females. All patients were asymptomatic diabetes without known macrovascular complications. A clinical examination, laboratory tests and measurement of CIMT by echography ultrasound were performed in all patients.

The mean carotid intima-media thickness was 0.74±0.13mm. This parameter was positively correlated with older age (P=0.009) and it's not influenced by sex neither history family of diabetes, history family of cardiovascular disease and current-past smoking. CIMT increased with diabetes duration (P=0.4), BMI (P=0.97), waist circumference (P=0.4), fasting glycemia (P=0.9), hypertension (P=0.4), hypercholesterolemia (P=0.9), hypertriglyceridemia (P=0.8), a lower level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.4), a higher level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.4) and microalbuminuria (P=0.02). CIMT was independent from hemoglobin A_1c level, postprandial glycemia and ultrasensitive C reactive protein.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing globally and poses a heavy burden on public health and socioeconomic development of all nations. Type 2 diabetes is a multifactorial disease and due to a combination of environmental and genetic risk factors. Our findings indicate the necessity of a best control of fasting glycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia and keeping an ideal BMI to avoid the progression of CIMT and so the cardiovascular risk.