The Association of Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) Index with Clinical Findings and Outcomes in COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit Patients

Objectives: The association of COVID-19 with metabolic risk factors is a critical issue influencing disease progression and mortality. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a practical indicator of insulin resistance, holds value in the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we aimed to inves-tigate the relationship of the TyG index with demographic characteristics, clinical findings, labora-tory parameters, and mortality in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to COVID-19. Methods: Between November 2021 and April 2022, a retrospective cross-sectional design was employed to include 88 COVID-19-positive patients with CO-RADS scores of 3 or higher admitted to a tertiary-level ICU. Demographic data, comorbidities, symptoms, laboratory results, thoracic computed tomography (CT) findings, and clinical outcomes were recorded. The TyG index was calculated using the formula Ln[triglyceride (mg/dL) × glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Statistical analyses utilized pa-rametric and nonparametric tests, with significance set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of the patients was 74.6±12.9 years, with 54.5% being male. The average TyG index was 4.95±0.35. The TyG index was significantly higher in patients with a history of diabetes melli-tus and cardiovascular disease (p=0.030 and p=0.035). The TyG value was higher in the presence of fever (p=0.033). The mortality rate was 53.4%, but no direct relationship was observed between TyG and mortality. Logistic regression analysis revealed no independent association between the TyG index and mortality (OR=1.32; 95% CI=0.61-2.87; p=0.478). While intubation, vasopressor use, septicemia, and oxygen saturation <90% were significantly associated with mortality, no sig-nificant relationship was found with TyG. Conclusion: The TyG index appears to be associated with metabolic comorbidities and inflammatory markers in COVID-19 ICU patients; however, it is insufficient as an independent marker for mortality pre-diction. Largerscale studies are required.