Clinical Use of the Triglycerides/Glucose (TyG) Index in the Early Assessment of Metabolic Alterations and Cardiovascular Remodeling in Essential Hypertensive Patients

INTRODUCTION: Obesity represents a significant public health problem, particularly due to its strong association with additional cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome (MS) and cardiovascular disease. IR is the underlying factor of the relationship between obesity and metabolic dysregulation. The identification of IR is crucial for early diagnosis, clinical management and specific treatment. AIM: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the Triglycerides/Glucose (TyG) Index in identifying IR and target-organ damage in a cohort of patients with essential hypertension. METHODS: we have evaluated 235 consecutive patients with essential hypertension (50.1% men and 49.9% women; mean age 51.9 ± 17.3 years), stratified for body mass index (BMI). Biochemical analysis and instrumental evaluation were assessed to identify target-organ damage. RESULTS: Increased BMI was associated with higher values of blood pressure, glycaemia and triglycerides. In patients with higher BMI, we observed more prevalent target-organ damage, particularly cardiac remodeling (78.3%) and higher 24-h urinary albumin excretion (83.7±48 mg/L). The TyG index proved to be a stronger biomarker for identifying the development of MS (AUC 0.78) and cardiac remodeling (AUC 0.66). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that obesity is correlated with a impaired hemodynamic and metabolic profile. The TyG index could represent an efficient and easy-to-use indicator for identifying both individuals developing MS and early cardiac remodeling, especially in normal-weight subjects.