Sex-Specific Differences in the Relationship of Atherogenic Index of Plasma and Abdominal Aortic Calcification

The atherosclerosis index of plasma (AIP) is a biomarker of atherosclerosis, while the associaton of AIP and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has never been studied. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between AIP and AAC among adults in the United States, with particular interest in sex differences. The analysis utilized cross-sectional data from 3015 non-institutionalized adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), with an average age of 57.44 ± 0.29 (mean ± standard error of the mean) years. AAC score was used to measure the severity of calcification in the abdominal aorta. Multivariable linear regression found a significant positive relationship of AIP and AAC score overall (β = .51, 95% CI: .20-.81). In females (n = 1561), per 1 unit AIP increase was correlated with .75 increase in AAC score. Based on AIP quartiles, subjects in higher quartiles groups have increased mean AAC scores than those in the Q1 reference group (P_trend = .0016). However, we detected no association of AIP and AAC score in males. An interaction effect of sex on AIP and AAC was observed. Our study found that increased AAC scores are significantly correlated with higher AIP, only in women but not men.