Association between triglyceride glucose index and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study

Background Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) lacks a simple and relatively accurate predictor. Triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is a simple indicator of insulin resistance, but the association between TyG index and CAS in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is less certain. This study aimed to investigate whether TyG index can predict CAS onset effectively. Methods In total, 1476 T2DM patients were included in cross-sectional analysis. TyG index (calculated by ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)/2]) was split into tertiles (Tertile1-Tertile3). The main outcome was CAS prevalence as defined with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) ≥ 1.0 mm or carotid plaque. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between TyG index and CAS in patients with T2DM. Results In cross-sectional analysis, a total of 62.3% of T2DM patients had CAS, patients with a higher TyG index had a higher risk of CAS (χ2 = 13.856, P < 0.01). After confounder adjustment, patients with T2DM in the high tertile of TyG index had a greater risk to developing CAS than those in the low tertile (OR = 1.451, 95% CI =1.107-1.902, P = 0.007). Higher TyG index values were also associated with increased odds of CAS in patients with T2DM who were female, who were younger than 65 years old, who suffered from hypertension or obesity. Conclusion TyG index was significantly associated with CAS, suggesting that TyG index is a potential predictor for CAS in patients with T2DM.