Triglyceride-Glucose Index Is Related to Carotid Plaque and Its Stability in Nondiabetic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundCarotid plaque plays an important role in the development of stroke. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a reliable alternative marker of insulin resistance. However, there are limited data regarding the relationship between TyG index and carotid plaque and its stability in nondiabetic adults.MethodsThis study was carried out on 24,895 urban workers (10,978 men and 13,917 women) aged 20 years or older who participated in a comprehensive health screening between January 2016 and December 2017 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China. Carotid plaque was assessed using ultrasonography. TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglyceride (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL) /2]. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to estimate the association of the TyG index with carotid plaque and its stability by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsCarotid plaque was detected in 5,668 (22.8%) respondents, with stable and unstable plaque accounting for 2,511 (10.1%) and 3,158 (12.7%), respectively. There was a significant positive association between the prevalence of carotid plaque and TyG index quartile levels, and the same associations were observed for the prevalence of stable and unstable carotid plaque (P for trend <0.0001). The multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for the highest vs. lowest quartile of TyG index were 1.30 (1.15–1.47) for carotid plaque, 1.38 (1.17–1.63) for stable carotid plaque, and 1.24 (1.07–1.43) for unstable carotid plaque. The RCS analysis showed a linear association between TyG index and carotid plaque, and linear associations were also observed between TyG index and both stable carotid plaque and unstable carotid plaque (P for linearity<0.05).ConclusionOur findings suggested that the TyG index was significantly associated with carotid plaque and might be a useful indicator for the early identification of carotid plaque in nondiabetic subjects.

Association of triglyceride-glucose index with ischemic stroke recurrence in nondiabetic patients with small vessel occlusion: a multicenter hospital-based prospective cohort study

“…Third, insulin resistance is an independent predictor for development of antiplatelet drug resistance which leads to the failure of secondary stroke prevention in a large proportion of stroke patients [7,23]. Finally, TyG index is related to other vascular risk factors such as unstable carotid plaques which might also lead to recurrent ischemic stroke [10][11][12][13].…”

“…Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, denoted ln [triglycerides (TG) (mmol/L) * fasting blood glucose (FBG) (mmol/L)/2], is a simple and reliable surrogate marker of insulin resistance [9]. Many previous studies have shown an association between a higher TyG index and an increased incidence of atherosclerosis, intima media thickness of common carotid artery, unstable carotid plaque, hypertension, arterial stiffness, and cardiovascular disease [10][11][12][13]. As expected, a plenty of evidences proved that TyG index was independently associated with the occurrence of stroke, and a higher TyG index was also a predictor of all-cause mortality and poor outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke [14][15][16][17].…”

Risk of carotid plaques according to triglyceride-glucose index stratified by thyroid function: A cross-sectional study

“…The association between the TyG index and carotid plaques has been demonstrated in many studies [8][9][10][11][12][13]. The TyG index was positively associated with an elevated risk of carotid plaque prevalence [8,9,11,13] and incidence [10,12] in the general population. Consistent with previous studies, our results showed that a high TyG index was positively associated with carotid plaques and metabolic components such as obesity, high BP, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides and high glucose levels.…”

“…Recently, the TyG index has been considered an accessible and convenient measurement for estimating insulin resistance [32] and may be useful for predicting CVD events in clinical practice [33,34]. The association between the TyG index and carotid plaques has been demonstrated in many studies [8][9][10][11][12][13]. The TyG index was positively associated with an elevated risk of carotid plaque prevalence [8,9,11,13] and incidence [10,12] in the general population.…”

“…The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is regarded as a valuable biomarker of insulin resistance [7]. Recently, several studies have reported that the TyG index is associated with carotid plaques in the general population [8][9][10][11][12][13].…”