Obesity, according to World Health Organisation definition, is a pathological accumulation of adipose tissue in the organism, and leads to the development of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (1). Available data on epidemiology of obesity report that obesity occurs in 21.2% men and 22.4% women, in which 0.6% men and 2.2% of women are morbidly obese (2). Moreover, NATPOL study (2011) suggests that number of obese patients in 2035 increases from 22% to 33%, that is from 6.5 mln to more than 9 mln patients. Morbidly obese patients constitutes a group of patients with significantly increased cardiovascular risk. These patients characteristically more frequently suffer from different co-morbidities such as glucose disturbances, hypertension, sleep apnea, venous thromboembolism. Numerous epidemiological studies confirm significant influence of obesity on morbidity and mortality caused by cardiovascular incidents as well as on increase in number of complications caused by cardiac incidents (3). The meta-analysis of 15 studies, conducted in European Heart Journal, including 258 114 patients, showed that increase in waist circumference by 1 cm caused 2% increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover increase in WHR by 0,01 is related to increase in the cardiovascular risk by 5% (4).

Bariatric surgery is a recognized method of treatment in patients with morbid obesity (5). The indications for surgery in the group of patients are BMI ≥ 40 kg/m² or BMI 35-40 kg/m² with co-morbidities, whose degree can potentially decrease as a result of weight reduction (metabolic diseases, cardiopulmonary diseases) (5).

According to actual recommendations of European Society of Hypertension and European Society of Cardiology increase in intima-media thickness (IMT) is a subclinical surrogate of morphological abnormalities of arterial walls (6-8). Arterial wall consists of three layers: the intima, media and adventitia (9). Primarily, Pignoli et al. in Circulation in 1986 revealed that assessment of common carotid artery intima-media thickness in ultrasonography correlates with its histopathological assessment (10). On a longitudinal, two-dimensional ultrasound image of the common carotid artery, the anterior and posterior walls of the carotid artery are displayed as two bright white lines. The distance between the leading edge of the first bright line of the far wall (lumen-intima interface) and the leading-edge of the second bright line (media-adventitia interface) indicates the intima-media thickness (10). According to quotabled over european guidelines IMT value more than 0.9 mm indicates abnormality (11). Based on meta-analysis performed by Lorenz et al. in the group of 37 000 patients, increase in IMT by 0,1 mm is related to 10-15% increase in risk of myocardial infarction and 13-18% increase in risk of stroke (11).

Multiple studies enabled us to assess the risk of leading or non-leading to death cardiovascular incidents, based on IMT measurements (12, 13). According to American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association (2010) recommendations regarding to cardiovascular risk assessment in asymptomatic patients, IMT measurement referred to IIa in the group of patients with intermediate risk (14). Thus, common carotid artery IMT is recognized as a marker of cardiovascular incidents in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes and supporting parameter of cardiovascular risk assessment using Framingham scale (15, 16). Mannheim’s consensus authors recommended IMT assessment in all patients with suspected vascular disease (17).

Available data on the influence of antihypertensive treatment on IMT values are equivocal (18). Tropeano et al. in their meta-analysis confirmed significant decrease in IMT in the group of patients undergoing antihypertensive therapy in comparison to the control group undergoing therapy based on placebo: -0.10 (-0.16; -0.04) (18).

The aim of the study was to assess common carotid artery intima-media thickness in morbidly obese patients. Pararelly, we wanted to compare received results to controls’ group results as well as to results in studied group after 6 months bariatric surgery follow-up.

For the prospective analysis we included 40 patients with severe obesity, admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology for qualification for bariatric surgery procedures (OB1) and reassessed six months after the surgery (OB2). There were 15 healthy women with normal body mass in the control group. They were matched for age and sex with OB1/OB2. In all cases undergoing our study we performed: physical examination, anthropometric analysis (height, body mass, fat mass, free fatty mass), basic laboratory analysis (morphology, lipidogram, GOT, GPT, creatinine, hsCRP, HbA₁C, fasting glucose, two-hour glucose levels on the OGTT), common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT). The patients suffered from hypertension were analyzed during standard treatment according to Eurpean Society of Cardiology guidelines. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, diuretics and in some cases calcium-antagonists were used. Then, all patients undergone bariatric surgery. All assessments were repeated six months after surgery. The same protocol was performed in the control group.

Common carotid artery intima-media thickness was performed in the morning, after 12 hours at rest, on the base of 3 measurements in both common carotid arteries. The measurements were performed according to accepted protocol using ultrasound Philips iE 33 system (Andeouver, Massachusetts USA) with linear probe (5-7 MHz). All measurements were performed and assessed by one doctor.

For the statistical analysis of the material to describe the quantitative variables, we used standard descriptive statistics. For quantitative variables was tested the hypothesis that the distribution of the features compatibility with a normal distribution (Shapiro-Wilk test, test type graphical QQ). In the case when the distribution of the characteristics was normal, we tested the hypothesis of the equality of the means for the two groups, using the T-test. When comparing the two groups for traits showing deviations from the normal distribution, we used Wilcoxon test for independent samples. By analyzing changes in quantitative parameters during treatment, we used t-test for the characteristics of normal distributions and the Wilcoxon test for the characteristics of the other distributions. Analyzing correlations for quantitative variables, we used Pearson’s coefficient for the characteristics of normal distributions and Spearman coefficient for the characteristics of the other distributions. The relationship between qualitative variables was tested in the system of contingency tables using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test when the expected values in table cells were not sufficiently large (ie. more than 5). By analyzing changes in quality parameters during treatment test, we used the test of symmetry related (McNemar’s test). When analyzing the impact of some factors on IMT, we used multivariate generalized linear models (GLM). The GLM models were selected optimal forms: combining function and the distribution of the error. The selection of the optimal model used stepwise variable selection strategy. As a criterion for the selection of model fit assumed statistical minimum AIC (Akaike’s Information Criterion). To describe the model fits the data statistics, we used Pearson Chi-Square and pseudo R-Square. The level of statistically significant value of p was < 0.05.

The protocol was approved by Warsaw Medical University’s Bioethics Committee on 31.03.2009 (KB/64/2009). The research project was co-financed with funds of Ministry of Science and Higher Education (N N402 490240).