Association of Serum Triglycerides With Arterial Stiffness in Subjects With Low Levels of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

• Published in: Circulation Journal Vol. 82; no. 12; pp. 3052 - 3057
• Main Authors: Maenohara, Shigeho, Ide, Kazuki, Yoshifuku, Shiro, Kubozono, Takuro, Miyahara, Hironori, Kawasoe, Shin, Usui, Tomoko, Ohishi, Mitsuru, Kawakami, Koji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Circulation Society 24.11.2018
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Arterial stiffness; Cardiovascular risk factors; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; Male; Middle Aged; Pulse wave velocity; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - blood; Vascular Stiffness; Pulse wave velocity; Triglycerides; Arterial stiffness; Cardiovascular risk factors; Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
• ISSN: 1346-9843; 1347-4820; 1347-4820
• DOI: 10.1253/circj.CJ-18-0607

Background: The independent role of serum triglyceride (TG) levels as a cardiovascular risk factor is still not elucidated. We aimed to investigate if the effect of TG on arterial stiffness is influenced by the serum level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Methods and Results: We studied 11,640 subjects who underwent health checkups. They were stratified into 4 groups according to LDL-C level (≤79, 80–119, 120–159, and ≥160 mg/dL). Arterial stiffness was evaluated by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). In each group, univariate and multivariete logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between high TG (≥150 mg/dL) and high baPWV (>1,400 cm/s). In the univarite analysis, high TG was significantly associated with high baPWV in LDL-C <79 mg/dL (OR, 3.611, 95% CI, 2.475–5.337; P<0.0001) and 80–119 mg/dL (OR, 1.881; 95% CI, 1.602–2.210; P<0.0001), but not in LDL-C 120–159 mg/dL and ≥160 mg/dL. In the multivariate analysis, high TG was significantly associated with high baPWV in LDL-C ≤79 mg/dL (OR, 2.558; 95% CI, 1.348–4.914; P=0.0040) and LDL-C 80–119 mg/dL (OR, 1.677; 95% CI, 1.315–2.140; P<0.0001), but not in LDL-C 120–159 mg/dL and ≥160 mg/dL. Conclusions: High TG and increased arterial stiffness showed an independent relationship in a Japanese general population with LDL-C ≤119 mg/dL. TG-lowering therapy might be an additional therapeutic consideration in these subjects.