IMPROVE

IMPROVE – Carotid Intima Media Thickness and IMT-Progression as Predictors of Vascular Events in a High Risk European Population Study

Study design

The Carotid Intima Media Thickness and IMT-Progression as Predictors of Vascular Events in a High Risk European Population Study (IMPROVE) is focusing on individuals with at least three vascular risk factors and is based in seven centres in five European countries: Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Individuals enrolled in this study were between 55 to 79 years old. The principal aim of the study was to investigate carotid intima-media thickness and its progression as predictors of vascular events in European individuals at high risk of cardiovascular diseases. The Ethics Committees of all participating institutions approved the IMPROVE study. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

Funding

The IMPROVE Study has been supported by the European Commission, Ministero della Salute Ricerca Corrente, Italy, Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Swedish Research Council, Foundation for Strategic Research, Stockholm County Council,  and the British Heart Foundation.

Key publications

Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data to identify the major determinants of carotid intima–media thickness in a European population: the IMPROVE study. Eur Heart J. 2010 Mar;31(5):614-22

Measurements of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and of Interadventitia Common Carotid Diameter Improve Prediction of Cardiovascular Events: Results of the IMPROVE (Carotid Intima Media Thickness [IMT] and IMT-Progression as Predictors of Vascular Events in a High Risk European Population) Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012 Oct 16;60(16):1489-99

Progression of carotid intima-media thickness as predictor of vascular events: results from the IMPROVE study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2013 Sep;33(9):2273-9

Carotid plaque-thickness and common carotid IMT show additive value in cardiovascular risk prediction and reclassification. Atherosclerosis. 2017 Aug;263:412-419

Association of lifelong occupation and educational level with subclinical atherosclerosis in different European regions. Results from the IMPROVE study. Atherosclerosis. 2018 Feb;269:129-137

GWAS and colocalization analyses implicate carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaque loci in cardiovascular outcomes. Nat Commun. 2018 Dec 3;9(1):5141