High triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio is associated with silent brain infarcts in a healthy population

BackgroundTriglycerides (TG)/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio is a marker of small/dense low-density lipoprotein particles, which are closely associated with various metabolic and vascular diseases. However, the role of TG/HDL cholesterol ratio in cerebrovascular diseases has not been well studied. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between TG/HDL cholesterol ratio and the presence of silent brain infarct (SBI) in a neurologically healthy population.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated consecutive participants in health check-ups between January 2006 and December 2013. SBI was defined as an asymptomatic, well-defined lesion with a diameter of >= 3mm on T1- or T2-weighted images. TG/HDL cholesterol ratio was calculated after dividing absolute TG levels by absolute HDL cholesterol levels.ResultsOf 3172 healthy participants, 263 (8.3%) had SBI lesions. In multivariate analysis, TG/HDL cholesterol ratio was independently associated with SBI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.00 to 1.34, P=0.047). This association was prominent in males (aOR=1.23, 95% CI=1.03 to 1.48, P=0.021), but not in females. In the analyses of the relationships between lipid parameters and SBI lesion burden, TG/HDL cholesterol ratio was positively correlated, and total cholesterol/TG ratio was negatively correlated with SBI lesion burden, in dose-response manners (P for trend=0.015 and 0.002, respectively).ConclusionsThe TG/HDL cholesterol ratio was positively associated with the prevalence of SBI in a neurologically healthy population.