A Positive Association between the Atherogenic Index of Plasma and White Matter Hyperintensity

White matter hyperintensity (WMH) is a risk factor for dementia and ischemic stroke. The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is a simple and cost-effective marker for the prediction of various vascular diseases. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between AIP and WMH in adults without cerebrovascular accidents.

We analyzed the data of 281 adults, aged ≥26 years, who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the health promotion center of an education hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. Participants were divided into three categories according to tertiles of the AIP scores (T1: <0.20; T2: 0.20-0.48; and T3: >0.48). WMH was defined as a modified Fazekas scale score of 1-3 on brain MRI. A cubic spline curve was used to determine the linearity of the relationship between AIP and WMH. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the AIP and WMH.

The prevalence of WMH was 45.7% in T1, 57.0% in T2, and 66.0% in T3 (T3 vs. T1, P for post-hoc analysis=0.005). The increased odds of WMH were associated with increased AIP. The odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for WMH of T2 and T3 compared with T1 were 1.57 (0.88-2.80) and 2.30 (1.28-4.14), respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, the OR with a 95% CI for WMH in the T2 and T3 groups vs. the referent T1 were 1.55 (0.76-3.13) and 2.27 (1.06-4.84), respectively.

AIP is independently and positively associated with WMH in a healthy population.