With the goal of keeping you healthy and at the lowest risk for various health conditions associated with aging, Cenegenics can perform a set of precise evaluations that can provide insights and improve wellness. When it comes to your heart, we offer a state-of-the-art screening tool for a vascular examination called CIMT, which stands for Carotid Intima-Media Thickness.
Click here to find a Cenegenics CIMT test near you. We’ll help you achieve your ultimate health and wellness goals.
A CIMT test is an FDA-approved non-invasive, advanced ultrasound evaluation of the carotid arteries. This test allows for the detection of any existing plaque and provides for a highly precise measurement of the thickness of the artery wall.
Thickening of the artery wall is an early sign of developing vascular disease and is directly related to your risk of heart attack, not just stroke. Early detection allows for proactive strategies to reduce your risk for these unfortunate events.
Are CIMT Tests Safe?
CIMT tests use ultrasound (so there is no radiation) and are recommended by both the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. It’s often used as a preventive measure to check for serious conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
Here at Cenegenics, we use the Panasonic Cardio Health Station to measure carotid intima-media thickness as a cardiovascular risk factor as part of the CIMT exam.
CIMT Testing Process
How is the CIMT Test Done?
CIMT tests are painless. This non-invasive test takes about 10-15 minutes and requires no preparation by patients.
One of our clinicians will apply a thick gel to the skin of your neck. Then, with the use of a small microphone-like device called a transducer, the gel is spread to help the sound waves get from the machine into the body. The sound waves bounce off the carotid arteries and create “echoes”, which are reflected back to the transducer and converted into images.
After completing the CIMT test, your personal Cenegenics physician will:
Review the images and assesses your carotid arteries’ health.
Identify changes in the vessel wall thickness and arterial plaques.
Compare images with a battery of additional personal biomarkers.
Design the best program possible according to your health state and goals.
How is CIMT Test Different from Other Tests?
A CIMT test will catch more people with diseases who were felt to be normal on stress tests. Stress tests only become positive when a patient generally has 70% or greater blockage of a coronary artery.
CIMT tests are more accurate in predicting disease than any other risk factor alone. They significantly improve the assessment of cardiovascular risk in an individual by directly looking at the blood vessels. We certainly want to know if we are at risk long before we have a blood vessel that is more than 70% blocked.
What Heart Disease Symptoms can the CIMT Test Detect?
As many as 50-60% of those who die from heart attacks or strokes have no previous signs or symptoms. In fact, heart disease often exhibits no symptoms or warning signs, and many people only become aware of their individual risk through biomarkers uncovered by lab work. While in some cases symptoms such as fatigue, irregular heartbeat, and chest pain may be present, in many cases, the first symptom of heart disease is a heart attack.[2]
This is because plaque can slowly and silently build up along the walls of the arteries for many years. While the arteries can become thickened, resulting in what’s known as atherosclerosis, there may be little to no outward sign of a medical issue. Blood pressure changes and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (identified through blood work) are among the few indicators that might alert physicians to this systemic inflammation.
CIMT Test Scores
What Do Your CIMT Test Results Mean?
Typically, a normal CIMT at age 10 is 0.4 to 0.5 mm approximately. At the age of 50, this can progress to 0.7 to 0.8 mm or more.[1]
Even if no atherosclerosis is present, there could still be changes in artery thickness which can alert our physician to an elevated risk for heart attack or stroke. With this early intervention, medical experts can determine and predict risk for cardiovascular disease or stroke and can subsequently make clinical recommendations to support the best possible patient outcomes.
If your CIMT test results show the aging of your arteries, Cenegenics will custom design an ongoing program for you.
Where Can I Get a CIMT Test Near Me?
You can find a CIMT test at your nearest Cenegenics location.
Click here to schedule a free consultation with one of our physicians or call 866-240-0035 to book an appointment.
Why Cenegenics?
Because you have a complex set of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors to consider, the approach must be tailored precisely to your unique needs.
Based on your personal key data insights, your Cenegenics physician and clinical team will create a fully personalized exercise and nutrition plan to help you meet your physical goals. This plan includes nutraceuticals as well as metabolic and hormonal optimization.
Each segment of your personalized plan will be designed to heighten the sense of well-being that comes from restoring your body’s balance.
Plus, our physicians will regularly monitor your levels through lab work, physical screenings, and proactive health analysis.
Call Cenegenics to book your free no-obligation consultation today at 866-240-0035 or Click here.
Author: Rudy Inaba,Vice President of Performance Health
Reference
[1] Lim TK;Lim E;Dwivedi G;Kooner J;Senior R; (2007, August 31). Normal value of carotid intima-media thickness–a surrogate marker of Atherosclerosis: Quantitative Assessment by B-mode carotid ultrasound. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17764896/