A high triglyceride-glucose index was significantly associated with the presence of carotid plaque (OR 1.271; 95% CI 1.072-1.506; p=0.006), independent of age, BMI, and other confounders.
Cohort (n=5,688)
Is a high triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index associated with the presence of carotid plaque in patients without previous cardiovascular events?
The triglyceride-glucose index is independently associated with the presence of carotid atherosclerosis, supporting its utility as a surrogate marker for cardiovascular risk.
Odds Ratio: 1.271 (95% CI 1.072–1.506)
p-value: p=0.006
Objective: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a novel surrogate marker of insulin resistance (IR). Epidemiological studies show a positive relationship between TyG index and cardiovascular (CV) risk. Previous studies showed significant associations between TyG index, arterial stiffness and renal damage, while few data explored the association with carotid atherosclerosis. We aimed to assess the association between TyG index and carotid plaque detected by ultrasound in a large Italian cohort of participants with carotid ultrasound and without previous CV events in the frame of the URic acid Right for heArt Health (URRAH) study. Design and method: The TyG index was calculated using the following formula: Ln (TG mg/dL * fasting glucose mg/dL)/2). We used the TyG threshold of 4.54 Units to identify subjects at higher risk of CV mortality. Results: N=5688 patients (51% men, mean age 59 ± 15 years) with carotid ultrasound and without previous CV events, were included in the analysis. A carotid plaque was identified in 22% of participants. TyG index was greater in the presence of a carotid plaque (4.7 ± 0.26 vs 4.6 ± 0.26, p = 0.001, in those with and without a carotid plaque, respectively). Univariable analyses showed a significant correlation between TyG index and age, body mass index (BMI, Pulse pressure (PP), heart rate (HR), uric acid (UA), HDL cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and UA/ creatinine ratio (UA/C). Logistic regression analysis showed that high TyG index was associated with the presence of carotid plaque (OR=1.271; 95% CI 1.072-1.506,p=0.006) independently of age (OR=1.017; 95% CI 1.011-1.023, p=0.001), HDL-cholesterol (OR=0.977; 95% CI 0.97-0.98, p=0.001), BMI (OR=1.088; 95% CI 1.068-1.109, p=0.001), PP (OR=1.009; 95% CI 1.05-1.014, p=0.001), HR (OR=1.027; 95% CI 1.021-1.034, p=0.001), UA (OR=1.366; 95% CI 1.284-1.452,p=0.001). Conclusions: In this analysis of the URRAH study, the TyG index was significantly associated to the presence of carotid atherosclerosis, independently of several possible confounders, including UA. These findings can explain at least in part the association between TyG index and the risk of CV events.
Muiesan et al. (Fri,) conducted a cohort in No previous cardiovascular events (n=5,688). High triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index vs. Low triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index was evaluated on Presence of carotid plaque (OR 1.271, 95% CI 1.072-1.506, p=0.006). A high triglyceride-glucose index was significantly associated with the presence of carotid plaque (OR 1.271; 95% CI 1.072-1.506; p=0.006), independent of age, BMI, and other confounders.