Serum Triglyceride Levels and Cardiovascular Disease Events in Koreans
Eun Hee Kim1, Jung Bok Lee, Seon Ha Kim
1Health Screening and Promotion Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
High triglyceride levels significantly increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, particularly in individuals without obesity, hypertension, or diabetes. This finding highlights hypertriglyceridemia as an independent CVD risk factor.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disorders
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Elevated LDL-cholesterol is a known cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor.
- The role of triglycerides in CVD risk is debated.
- Hypertriglyceridemia requires further investigation as an independent risk factor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between triglyceride levels and CVD risk.
- To determine if hypertriglyceridemia is an independent risk factor for CVD.
- To analyze CVD risk associated with triglycerides in specific subgroups.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 76,434 participants was analyzed from health checkup data.
- Cardiovascular events and mortality were tracked using national health insurance claims and death certificates.
- Statistical analysis included age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios and multivariate risk factor adjustments.
Main Results:
- Higher triglyceride levels were associated with significantly increased odds of major CVD events (OR 1.52) and overall CVD events (OR 1.49).
- This association remained significant after adjusting for HDL-cholesterol and other risk factors.
- The increased CVD risk associated with high triglycerides was pronounced in nonobese, normotensive, and nondiabetic individuals.
Conclusions:
- Hypertriglyceridemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- The association between high triglycerides and CVD is particularly strong in individuals without other major risk factors.
- Managing triglyceride levels may be crucial for CVD prevention, especially in specific patient populations.
Objectives:
Hypercholesterolemia, especially elevated levels of LDL-cholesterol, is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the role of triglycerides in CVD risk remains controversial.
Methods:
We enrolled 86,476 individuals who had undergone a general health checkup at Asan Medical Center between January 2007 and June 2011. After exclusion criteria were applied to the total cohort, 76,434 participants were included. CVD events and death were gathered from the nationwide health insurance claims database and death certificates using ICD-10 codes.
Results:
Age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of the higher triglyceride group were significantly increased: 1.52 (95% CI: 1.27-1.82) for major CVD events, 1.53 (95% CI: 1.24-1.88) for major ischemic heart disease events, and 1.49 (95% CI: 1.37-1.63) for overall CVD events. After adjustment for multiple risk factors including HDL-cholesterol, ORs for overall CVD events were significantly increased in the higher triglyceride group. When the analysis was stratified according to BMI, hypertension, and glycemic status at baseline, age- and sex-adjusted ORs for the outcomes were significantly increased in the higher triglyceride group with nonobese, normotensive, or nondiabetic subjects.
Conclusions:
Hypertriglyceridemia is independently associated with an increased risk for CVD, especially in nonobese, normotensive, or nondiabetic individuals.
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