Impact of triglyceride-glucose index on risk of cardiovascular disease among non-diabetic hypertension patients: a 10-year prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background

Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index was regarded as a cost-efficient and reliable clinical surrogate marker for insulin resistance (IR), which was significantly correlated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the TyG index and incident CVD in non-diabetic hypertension patients remains uncertain. The aim of study was to explore the impact of TyG index level and variability on risk of CVD among non-diabetic hypertension patients.

Methods

A total of 9313 hypertensive patients without diabetes aged 30–70 years in Jiangsu Province who participated in the baseline survey from January 2010 to December 2010 and were followed up to May 2020 were included in this study. The TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglyceride (TG) (mg/dl) × fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (mg/dl)/2] and variation degree was calculated as the TyG index at first year follow-up (2011) minus that at baseline (2010). Cox proportional analysis regression and restricted cubic spline were used to investigate the association between TyG index level as well as variability and CVD risk.

Results

Of 9313 included participants, 5423(58.23%) were female. During a mean follow-up of 8.32 ± 1.43 years, 890(9.56%) CVD events was identified. Cox regression analysis showed that with the highest TyG index in Q4 group at baseline, the incidence of CVD risk increased by 33.6% after adjustment for multiple confounders compared to Q1 group. Compared with TyG index variation degree 0 ~ < 1, the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) respectively in < 0, 1 ~ < 2 and 2 ~ were 0.326(0.276, 0.384), 3.216(2.697,3.835) and 4.225(3.359,5.314). The restricted cubic spline indicated that there was a non-linear dose-response relationship between the change degree of TyG and risk of CVD. Similar results were obtained by subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis.

Conclusion

Elevated TyG index may be used as a surrogate for IR and help optimize risk stratification of CVD as well as prevention and management.