OBJECTIVES: Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis, but the association between a family history of diabetes and atherosclerosis remains unknown. In this study, we assessed the association between a family history of diabetes and increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, in a middle-aged Korean population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 3,974 community-dwelling adults (1,404 male and 2,570 female) aged 30-64 years from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center cohort. The presence of a family history of di-abetes was assessed through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Carotid IMT was assessed using B-mode ultrasonography, and increased IMT was defined as a value in the top quartile of the IMT values of all participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate independent associations between a family history of diabetes and increased IMT. RESULTS: A family history of diabetes was significantly associated with increased carotid IMT (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.48) after adjusting for sex; age; body mass index; systolic blood pressure; total cholesterol, triglyceride, and hemoglobin A1c levels; smoking; alcohol consumption; exercise; use of antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and antilipidemic drugs; and a family history of hypertension. The positive association remained significant after excluding participants with diabetes (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.47). CONCLUSIONS: A family history of diabetes was positively associated with increased carotid IMT, even in participants with-out diabetes. Therefore, information on a family history of diabetes may help identify individuals at high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
FUNDING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
ORCID
REFERENCES