Elevated Triglycerides Associated with Risk of PAD

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a narrowing of the arteries other than those that supply the heart or the brain. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is common, and although it is associated with cardiovascular (CV) morbidity, mortality, loss of quality of life and increased health care burden.

Data on PAD is relatively scarce compared with data on coronary artery disease. Elevated triglycerides (TG) are known to be associated with and to be a predictive factor for PAD; therefore, more data on elevated TG in PAD and peripheral arterial revascularization are needed.

Scientists at the University of Illinois College of Medicine (Peoria, IL, USA) and their colleagues carried out a retrospective administrative analysis of the Optum Research Database that includes more than 160 million individuals, and identified 1,646,031 individuals who filled at least one statin prescription in 2010 and had at least a 6-month follow-up. Of that group 390,632 individuals met criteria for inclusion in the study; the team was able to create 23,181 propensity score matched pairs.

The two groups included patients with triglyceride levels ≥150 mg/dL and a group of patients with triglycerides <150 mg/dL and well-controlled LDL cholesterol. At 5 years, the probability of peripheral arterial revascularization was 6.9% among patients with elevated triglyceride levels versus 4.9% in the comparator cohort. Controlling for patient characteristics, patients with elevated triglycerides had a 13.4% higher rate of occurrence of an inpatient hospital stay per unit time than the comparator cohort.

Peter P. Toth, MD, PhD, director of preventive cardiology and the senior author of the study, said, “In a multivariate analysis controlled for patient characteristics and comorbidities, the rate of occurrence of peripheral arterial revascularization per unit time was 37% higher in the elevated-triglyceride cohort versus the comparator cohort. Patients with elevated triglycerides and a history of diabetes and/or atherosclerotic coronary vascular disease represent a relatively large population that may be commonly encountered in clinical practice, and warrants further study.” The study was presented at the 2018 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology held August 25-28, 2018, in Munich, Germany.

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University of Illinois College of Medicine