Associations of the triglyceride-glucose index and remnant cholesterol with coronary artery disease: a retrospective study

Background Remnant cholesterol (RC) represents a low-cost and readily measured lipid index that contributes significantly to residual cardiovascular disease risk. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index exhibits a significant correlation with cardiovascular disease occurrence. However, RC and the TyG index have rarely been examined for their potentials in predicting coronary artery disease (CAD). Accordingly, the study was designed to validate the correlations of these two biomarkers with CAD and to compare the forecasted values of these two biomarkers for newly diagnosed CAD. Methods Totally 570 subjects firstly administered coronary angiography were enrolled, including 431 newly diagnosed CAD cases and 139 individuals without CAD. The individuals were classified into two groups according to CAD diagnosis. RC was derived as total cholesterol content (mmol/L) – (high density lipoprotein cholesterol content + low density lipoprotein cholesterol content; both in mmol/L). The TyG index was determined as ln (fasting triglyceride level [mg/dL] × fasting plasma glucose level [mg/dL])/2. Results Baseline feature analysis revealed significant differences in RC and the TyG index between the CAD and non-CAD groups (both P < 0.001). RC and the TyG index were independent risk factors for CAD in accordance with logistic regression analysis (both P < 0.05). Moreover, spearman correlation analysis elucidated CAD had a more remarkable correlation with the TyG index compared with RC (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, according to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the TyG index was better than RC in predicting CAD. Conclusions The TyG index and RC have significant associations with CAD. Compared with RC, the TyG index possesses a closer correlation with CAD and a higher predictive value for CAD.