Association of the triglyceride-glucose index and vascular target organ damage in a Beijing community-based population

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to explore the association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a marker of insulin resistance (IR), and vascular target organ damage (TOD) in a Beijing community-based population, China.

Methods: A total of 6,015 participants from an atherosclerosis cohort survey performed in the Shijingshan District in Beijing, China were included in our analysis. Vascular TOD, such as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were all evaluated.

Results: The overall mean age of all the participants was 62.35 years, 3,951 (65.69%) were female, and mean TyG index was 8.81. In univariable regression analyzes, an increased TyG index was associated with higher cfPWV, baPWV, lnUACR, and higher risk of cfPWV ≥ 10 m/s, baPWV ≥ 1,800 cm/s, and UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, respectively. Multivariable regression analyzes showed subjects with the TyG index in top tertile had a significant increase in cfPWV (β = 0.29 m/s; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.19-0.40; p _fortrend < 0.001), baPWV (β = 69.28 cm/s; 95% CI 50.97-87.59; p _fortrend < 0.001), lnUACR (β = 0.23; 95% CI 0.13-0.34; p _fortrend < 0.001), and had a higher risk of cfPWV ≥ 10 m/s (odds ratio [OR] = 1.47; 95% CI 1.17-1.85; p _fortrend < 0.001), baPWV ≥ 1,800 cm/s (OR = 1.79; 95% CI 1.48-2.17; p _fortrend < 0.001), and UACR ≥ 30 mg/g (OR = 1.71; 95% CI 1.30-2.24; p _fortrend < 0.001) after fully adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), self-reported coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, and lipid-lowering drugs. Consistent conclusions were obtained in the subgroups without hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering medications or aged younger than 65 years old.

Conclusions: The TyG index was positively associated with artery stiffness and nephric microvascular damage in a Beijing community-based population in China. This result provides evidence that the TyG index may serve as a simple and effective indicator to reflect vascular TOD.

Keywords: brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity; carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; the triglyceride glucose index; urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio; vascular target organ damage.

Figure 1

The relationship between triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and target organ damage (TOD)^*. (A) carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV); (B) cfPWV ≥ 10 m/s; (C) brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV); (D) BaPWV ≥ 1,800 cm/s; (E) LnUACR; (F) urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥ 30 mg/g. ^*Adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and drinking habit, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), self-reported coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, lipid-lowering drugs. A 2-tailed 0.5% of TyG index was removed.