A lower than conventional prognostic cut-off value for TG for CV events has emerged from an analysis of data from a large regional Italian cohort of 14,189 patients aged 18-95 years followed up for 11.2 (5.3-13.2) years.
A conventional cut-off value for TG (150 mg/dL [1.7 mmol/L]) and prognostic cut-offs identified from a receiver operating characteristic curve were used as independent predictors in separate multivariable Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, total and HDL-cholesterol, serum uric acid, arterial hypertension, diabetes, chronic renal disease, smoking habit, and use of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs.
During 139,375 person-years of follow-up, 1,601 participants experienced CV events. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that 89 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) (95% CI, 75.8-103.3, sensitivity 76.6, specificity 34.1, p<0.0001) was the prognostic cut-off value for CV events. Both cut-off values for TG, the conventional and the newly identified, were accepted as multivariate predictors in separate Cox analyses, the hazard ratios being 1.211 (95% CI, 1.063-1.378, p=0.004) and 1.150 (95% CI, 1.021-1.295, p=0.02), respectively.
The researchers recommend that TG measurement must be considered an important part of routine evaluation to manage CV risk and that, in primary prevention, individuals with TG >89 mg/dL (>1 mmol/L) should be carefully observed to prevent possible CV events.
Reference
Tikhonoff V, Casiglia E, Virdis A et al. Prognostic Value and Relative Cutoffs of Triglycerides Predicting Cardiovascular Outcome in a Large Regional-Based Italian Database. J Am Heart Assoc . 2024 Jan 31:e030319.
