Sex -Specific Differences in the Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Among a Low-Income Population in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The presence and number of components of MetS were associated with CIMT in both men and women. Sex differences were found in the impact of individual components of MetS on CIMT. Early identification and management of MetS according to sex-specific risk of MetS should be considered to reduce the prevalence and burden of carotid atherosclerosis in rural China, which has a high incidence of stroke, a known consequence of carotid atherosclerosis.