increased carotid intima-media thickness in scuba divers.

background: scuba divers work in high pressure conditions which may cause some changes in physiological status to adapt to this situation. in this study, the carotid intima-media thickness (cimt) was assessed in divers as a risk factor of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disorders. methods: this historical cohort study was performed on 16 male professional scuba divers as case group and 30 healthy people as controls with age range of 26-66 years. cimt of both carotids of supine participants was measured by a 10 mhz linear ultrasonic probe quantitatively. relationship between experience of diving and carotid imt was evaluated. results: all the participants were males (mean age 42.9 ± 10.58. and for the control group was (47.05 ± 12.31 years). the mean right cimt in divers and control group was 524.31 ± 149.40 and 443.66 ± 59.62 micrometer, respectively. furthermore, the mean left cimt in divers and control group was 624.57 ± 116.15 and 458.44 ± 49.56 micrometer, respectively. conclusion: the findings demonstrated that long-term occupational diving leads to increased intima-media thickness in scuba divers.