Assessment of Triglyceride–Glucose Index and Ratio in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Their Relation to Microvascular Complications

ABSTRACT

Objective

Triglyceride-based indices have gained much attention over the past few years. Relation of triglyceride – glucose (TyG) index with insulin resistance and diabetic macrovascular complications was thoroughly studied; nevertheless its relation to microvascular complications is still unclear. This provoked us to carry out the present study.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 500 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), who were enrolled from the outpatient clinic of the Diabetes and Metabolism Unit at Alexandria Main University Hospital. The equations utilized to calculate triglycerides-related indices were: TyG ratio = fasting triglycerides (mg/dL)/fasting glucose (mg/dL), and TyG index = logarithm of [fasting triglyceride (mg/dl) x fasting glucose (mg/dl)/2]. The diagnostic criteria set by the American Diabetes Association were followed to diagnose diabetic microvascular complications.

Results

In patients with T2DM, TyG index was significantly higher in patients with diabetic retinopathy, diabetic kidney disease, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy compared to those without complications (p < 0.001). TyG index was significantly positively correlated to diabetes duration, as well as triglyceride/high density lipoprotein ratio in the total sample (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

TyG index is an easy, cheap, and available marker for detection of microvascular complications in patients with T2DM.

KEYWORDS:

• microvascular complications
• TyG index
• TyG ratio
• Type 2 diabetes

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Internal Medicine Department (Diabetes and Metabolism Unit), Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, which supported and hosted the study. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure statement

No relevant interests, whether financial or non-financial, are available to expose.

Ethical Approval

The current study was carried out following the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects defined in the Helsinki Declaration (revised in 2013). The ethics committee of Faculty of Medicine at Alexandria University approved the proposed protocol in 2021.

Authors’ Contribution

Heba S. Kassab and Shimaa M. Elrahmany envisaged the study, collected and analyzed the data, and set down the manuscript. Nermin A. Osman designed the study, participated in data analysis and the manuscript. The final version of the manuscript was reviewed and approved by the three authors. They agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work; in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Data availability statement

Data is available through the corresponding author upon justified request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.