Association between triglyceride glucose-body mass index and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in South Korean pregnant women

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in Korean pregnant women. A secondary analysis was conducted on 585 singleton pregnancies using publicly available data from South Korea. The TyG-BMI was examined as a continuous variable and by quartiles. The association between the TyG-BMI and MASLD was evaluated using logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression, sensitivity analyses, and subgroup analyses. The diagnostic performance of the TyG-BMI for MASLD was further assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The mean maternal age was 32.1 ± 3.8 years, and MASLD was present in 110 (18.8%) women. After adjusting for potential confounders, TyG-BMI was significantly and positively associated with MASLD (adjusted odds ratio per 10-unit increase = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.43, P < 0.001). Sensitivity and subgroup analyses supported the robustness of this association. RCS analysis indicated a linear relationship between TyG-BMI and MASLD risk. The area under the ROC curve was 0.7483 (95% CI 0.6953-0.8012), suggesting a good diagnostic accuracy. An optimal TyG-BMI cut-off value of 190.99 was identified, with a sensitivity of 63.64% and a specificity of 74.32%.