Insulin resistance indexes as biomarkers of lifetime cardiovascular risk among adults from Peru

Abstract

Background. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most prevalent cause of death from disease and disability in the world. Reliable markers are needed to assess and reduce cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to determine if insulin resistance indexes, triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-c) and triglycerides to glucose index (TGI), are biomarkers for lifetime cardiovascular risk. Methods. This analytical cross-sectional study was performed in health workers from the Hospital de Huaycan in Peru. The QRISK model was used to measure lifetime cardiovascular risk. The association and diagnostic accuracy for insulin resistance indexes were determined using Poisson regression models and ROC curves with Youden index, respectively. Results. In total 291 adults (207 women and 84 men) were analyzed. In the multivariable analysis the 3rd tertil of TG/HDL-c (PRa:2.72, CI95% 1.13 - 6.57) and TGI (PRa:4.73, CI95% 1.56 - 14.31) increased significantly the lifetime cardiovascular risk compared to their 1st tertil. The cut-off values of TG/HDL-c was 2.64 (AUC:0.77), 3.90 (AUC:0.80) and 2.64 (AUC:0.74) for the overall population, men and women, respectively. Likewise, the cut-off values of TGI was 9.04 (AUC:0.80), 8.95 (AUC:0.79) and 9.04 (AUC:0.80) for the overall population, men and women, respectively. Conclusion. TG/HDL-c and TGI presented significant association with lifetime cardiovascular risk. However, TGI presented a stronger association than TG/HDL-c. Both TG/HDL-c and TGI are shown to be reliable markers for cardiovascular risk in adults.