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

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.