THE TRIGLYCERIDE-GLUCOSE INDEX IS CORRELATED TO URIC ACID AND INTIMA-MEDIA THICKNESS

Objective: Introduction: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) is a surrogate marker of insulin resistance. Recent studies have demonstrated the association between TyG and various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases, can be effectively assessed using carotid artery ultrasound. Carotid artery ultrasound can be used to measure intima-media thickness (IMT), atherosclerotic burden and arterial stiffness, which are strong predictors of cardiovascular risk. Uric acid, of purine metabolism, has emerged as a potential cofactor in cardiovascular diseases. Aim: We aimed to investigate the association between IMT, atherosclerotic burden, TyG and uric acid.Design and method: Methods: We collected anamnestic, laboratory and hemodynamic data from patients who underwent carotid ultrasound for risk stratification. We used the Quipu Carotid Studio software on a group of patients (n=340) to obtain data on carotid stiffness. The atherosclerotic burden of the carotid artery, represented by the number of carotid sites with plaques (ranging from 0 to 6), carotid stiffness, and hemodynamic parameters were acquired. Results: Results: 740 patients were analyzed. Patients with a low atherosclerotic burden (plaques in <3 sites) tended to be older (65 vs 74y), have higher systolic blood pressure (132 vs 139 mmHg), lower cholesterol levels, higher internal carotid resistive index and mean IMT. The patients were divided according to the median TyG (<8.5 and >8.5, respectively). Patients with higher TyG had higher BMI, creatinine, uric acid levels and mean IMT (0.71 vs 0.76 mm, p=<0.001). When patients were divided according to their personal history of diabetes, the correlation was maintained only in non-diabetic (r=0.33, p < 0.001). The linear regression model showed that TyG was strongly associated with uric acid independently of confounding factors (age, sex, BMI, creatinine, HDL cholesterol, diabetes). Conclusions: Conclusion: We showed that TyG is correlated with mean IMT and is associated with uric acid independently of confounding factors.