Association of the triglyceride glucose-waist height ratio with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis

Abstract

Abstract Background and objective This study evaluated the associations of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index or its attendant parameters, known as reliable measures of insulin resistance, with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (aICAS), along with their value for distinguishing individuals with a notable aICAS burden. Methods This study enrolled 2000 participants (aged ≥ 40 years) based on the Rose asymptomatic IntraCranial Artery Stenosis study. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound combined with magnetic resonance angiography was utilized to confirm aICAS. Logistic regression was applied to assess the associations between TyG or TyG-related indices (TyG-body mass index, TyG-waist circumference [TyG-WC], TyG-waist-to-hip ratio [TyG-WHR], or TyG-waist-to-height ratio [TyG-WHtR]) and aICAS. The diagnostic potential of them was investigated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results Among the 2000 participants, 146 (7.3%) had a diagnosis of aICAS. TyG-WC, TyG-WHR, or TyG-WHtR were independently related to the prevalence of aICAS (TyG-WC: OR 1.26, 95%CI 1.03–1.54; TyG-WHR: OR 1.29, 95%CI 1.07–1.55; TyG-WHtR: OR 1.25, 95%CI 1.04–1.51). ROC analysis disclosed that TyG-WHtR had significant superior performance in identifying aICAS compared with other parameters (all P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that higher TyG-WHtR values showed a positive association with a heightened prevalence of aICAS observed in elderly participants aged ≥ 65 years (OR 1.69, 95%CI 1.20–2.38), and hypertensive patients (OR 1.30, 95%CI 1.06–1.59). Conclusion The association of TyG-WHtR with aICAS showed that TyG-WHtR might be a more effective indicator for identifying populations with early-stage aICAS.

Keywords

• Triglyceride-glucose index
• Insulin resistance
• Asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis