Abstract
Background: Leukoaraiosis refers to lesions of high signal intensity in the periventricular and subcortical white matter that result from chronic microvascular ischemic damage to the brain. Increasing evidence suggests that the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is associated with arterial stiffness and cardiovascular disease, which are both closely related to ischemic arterial damage. We hypothesized that the serum TyG index could be associated with cerebrovascular microangiopathy as measured by leukoaraiosis among middle-aged and older adults.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2,162 Korean adults aged ≥45 years who participated in a health examination program between 2010 and 2011. TyG index was calculated as Ln (fasting triglycerides (mg/dl) × fasting blood glucose (mg/dl)/2). TyG index quartiles were categorized as follows: Q1, ≤8.12; Q2, 8.13-8.50 Q2, 8.51-8.89; and Q4, ≥8.90. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for leukoaraiosis based on brain MRI scans were calculated across TyG index quartiles using multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: The overall prevalence of leukoaraiosis was 5.4% and increased with serum TyG index quartiles. Compared to the lowest quartile, the ORs (95% CIs) of the highest TyG index quartile for leukoaraiosis was 2.37 (1.17-4.79) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, mean arterial pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol levels, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.Conclusions: The serum TyG index was positively and independently associated with leukoaraiosis. Our findings indicate that the TyG index might be a useful additional measure for assessing cerebrovascular microangiopathy in clinical settings.
The effects of household solid fuel use on self-reported and performance-based physical functioning in middle-aged and older Chinese populations: A cross-sectional study
