CAROTID INTIMA–MEDIA THICKNESS SCREENING IN DIABETIC WOMEN: A PREVENTIVE IMPERATIVEEditorial

Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurement has emerged as a useful, non-invasive ultrasonography marker for detecting early artery wall remodelling and subclinical atherosclerosis before symptoms appear [1-3]. Given the disproportionate cardiovascular load that women with diabetes face, CIMT screening should be seen as a therapeutically significant preventive strategy rather than an optional investigative tool.The epidemiological evidence has consistently demonstrated that diabetes increases the relative cardiovascular risk in women more than in males. Compared to non-diabetic women, diabetic women have a three- to four-fold higher risk of coronary heart disease, which frequently exceeds that of diabetic males.