ABSTRACT
The influence of family history may extrapolate beyond traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In the Framingham Offspring Study, 1662 adult children (mean age 57 years) of the original parental cohort were studied, and a family history of premature coronary heart disease in a parent was significantly associated with higher offspring carotid IMT on carotid ultrasound, even after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. 20 A family history of coronary heart disease can identify individuals with a predisposition to carotid atherosclerosis.
