Çağdaş Kaynak, Bilal Geyik
Anatolian Current Medical Journal - 2025;7(6):886-892
Aims: Cardiovascular risk is significantly heightened in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), primarily due to the early development of atherosclerosis. The primary objective of this research was to clarify the association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, atherogenic lipid markers and their effectiveness in identifying premature atherosclerosis in NAFLD. Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 80 NAFLD patients and 64 healthy controls. Demographic, clinical and biochemical parameters were evaluated. A mean carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) threshold of >=0.800 mm was used to characterize premature atherosclerosis. Several atherogenic indices were calculated, including Castelli risk indices (CRI-1 and CRI-2), atherogenic coefficient (AC), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and the TyG index. After comparing the groups, independent predictors were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression and the evaluation of diagnostic effectiveness was conducted through the analysis of receiver operating characteristics (ROC). All analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0. Results: Premature atherosclerosis was more frequent in the NAFLD group (33.8% vs. 12.5%, p=0.003). Multivariate modeling revealed TyG index and hyperlipidemia (HL) as independent correlates of premature atherosclerosis. ROC analysis demonstrated that a TyG index cutoff value of 5.0 provided a moderate discriminatory ability for predicting premature atherosclerosis in NAFLD, with a sensitivity of 59.3% and a specificity of 60.4% (AUC=0.687; p=0.007). Conclusion: In NAFLD patients, the TyG index and HL were independent predictors of premature atherosclerosis, whereas other atherogenic indices and conventional cardiovascular risk factors showed no significant association.
