Relation between serum osteoprotegerin and carotid intima media thickness in a general population – the Tromsø Study

Background: Previous studies have reported conflicting results on the relation between serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) concentration and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT). Patients/methods: The present study was conducted to investigate the relations between OPG, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) in a large cross‐sectional study including 6516 subjects aged 25–85 years who participated in a population‐based health survey. Results: CIMT increased significantly across tertiles of OPG after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as age, gender, smoking, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, C‐reactive protein (CRP), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, CVD and diabetes mellitus (P