Positive association between different triglyceride-glucose index-related indicators and overactive bladder: Results from NHANES (2013–2020)

The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a promising new biomarker for insulin resistance, but its relationship with the risk of overactive bladder (OAB) has not yet been studied. This nationwide study aims to investigate the association between TyG-related indices and the risk of OAB. In this study, we analyzed a dataset from the 2013 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that was nationally representative. Only participants who had complete data on TyG-related indices and OAB were selected for inclusion. Through weighted multivariable logistic regression, we assessed the association between TyG-related indices and OAB, making adjustments for numerous confounders. Additionally, comprehensive subgroup analyses were undertaken to confirm the validity of the findings. Sensitivity analyses were performed by excluding participants with diabetes, hypertension, or extreme laboratory values to assess the robustness of the results. The discriminative ability of TyG-related indices for identifying OAB was further explored via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The study analyzed 7841 participants, among whom 1962 were diagnosed with OAB. In the fully adjusted model, triglyceride-glucose body mass index, triglyceride-glucose waist circumference, and triglyceride-glucose waist-to-height ratio (TyG-WHtR) in quartiles 4 and 3 compared with quartile 1 were significantly associated with OAB. Among these, TyG-WHtR showed a more pronounced relationship with OAB (TyG-WHtR model 3: Q4 odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 2.138 [1.635-2.797]). The ROC analysis also indicated that TyG-WHtR had a stronger discriminative ability for identifying OAB: 0.639 (95% confidence interval: 0.625-0.653). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these associations across different analytical conditions. A linear association between TyG-related indices and OAB was observed within the restricted cubic spline regression model limits. Furthermore, both subgroup and ROC analyses demonstrated that males were more likely to be affected by TyG-related indices than females. The findings of this study establish a clear association between the triglyceride-glucose body mass index, triglyceride-glucose waist circumference, and TyG-WHtR indices and OAB. These results suggest that TyG-related indices may serve as potential indicators warranting further investigation in OAB research.