Beyond conventional lipid markers: Atherogenic index of plasma and triglyceride-glucose index in relation to cardiometabolic multimorbidity in older adults.

Purpose

This study aimed to compare the associations and predictive performance of atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index for incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM).

Methods

Data was analyzed from 2261 adults (mean age 63 years; 45.0% men) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing without a history of cardiometabolic disease at baseline (2008-2009). CMM was defined as the occurrence of ≥ 2 of the following conditions by 2021-2023: hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or stroke. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were estimated.

Results

Over 12-15 years of follow-up, 131 cases of CMM were recorded. Higher AIP increased the odds of CMM (per 1-SD increase: OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.15-1.73; highest vs lowest tertile: OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.22-3.60). Similar associations were observed for the TyG index (per 1-SD increase: OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.25-1.82; highest vs lowest tertile: OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.21-3.55). Incorporation of AIP into a conventional risk model resulted in a modest improvement in discrimination, with comparable results observed for the TyG index.

Conclusion

AIP and the TyG index showed similar positive linear associations with incident CMM and comparable modest predictive performance.