CIMT testing has good consistency with assessments using medical ultrasonic equipment and histopathological examinations. CIMT testing could be used for noninvasive assessment or for monitoring systemic atherosclerosis and to warn of Dimesna cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Many risk Nodakenin factors play a role in atherosclerosis. Studies have suggested that traditional risk factors including blood pressure, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, age and gender play an important role in more than 50% of atherosclerosis development. This study aimed to examine the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis in healthy people, to screen for the most important risk factors in different genders and age groups and to suggest a cutpoint-based prevention strategy using decision tree analysis. Traditional statistical methods such as logistic regression analysis have been effectively applied and widely recognized in the screening of disease risk factors. However, logistic regression has limitations in managing complicated data because many factors are involved that could affect each other. Decision tree analysis might prevent such disadvantages. In this study, decision tree analysis was successfully used to screen for the most important risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis and to identify the cutpoints for risk factors by gender and age group. The results presented in Figure 2 showed that in men, the most important traditional risk factor for carotid atherosclerosis was TC from 20�C40 years of age and FPG from 41�C59 years of age. By comparison, LDL-C became the major risk factor when FPG # 5.79 mmol/L. Figure 3 demonstrates that the most important traditional risk factor for carotid atherosclerosis in women was FPG from 20�C40 years of age and TG from 41�C59 years of age. From 60�C80 years of age, the traditional risk factors showed no statistical significance regardless of gender. We assume that non-traditional risk factors might have played a more important role in the subjects older than 60 years of age. The results suggest that traditional risk factors and relevant cutpoints are not identical in different genders and age groups. This specific gender and age group-based cutpoint strategy might be more effective in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. This study attempts to provide useful information for the prevention and treatment of early stage cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by analyzing carotid atherosclerosis incidence and relevant traditional risk factors by gender and age groups. We developed a cutpoint-based strategy for preventing carotid atherosclerosis in different genders and age groups. The first onset of coronary heart disease and stroke could be disabling or fatal. It is essential to manage the risk factors of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and 
to limit the exposure to risk factors, which could ultimately reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Researchers have shown that a high TC level is an independent predictor of carotid atherosclerosis in elderly populations and that a high TG level greatly affects the development of carotid atherosclerosis in elderly women. Studies conducted by Sunjiayi showed that the occurrence of carotid atherosclerosis increases as the FBG level rises in women; however, it does not increase in men. These results might suggest that the role of FBG in carotid atherosclerosis is not identical in women and men. The results of our study are consistent with the study mentioned above, demonstrating that decision tree analysis could successfully screen for the important risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis in different genders and age groups.