Independent association of TG/HDL-C with urinary albumin excretion in normotensive subjects in a rural Korean population

BACKGROUND: The ratio of triglycerides (TG, mg/dl) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, mg/dl) is a reliable indicator of insulin resistance and atherosclerotic diseases in some ethnic groups. This study is performed to examine the association between TG/HDL-C and albuminuria.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 9094 adult subjects (4091 men, 5003 women) who were enrolled in the Korean Genomic Rural Cohort (KGRC) and aged 40 years or more. Albuminuria was defined as a urine albumin/creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g. Participants were categorized into TG/HDL-C quartile.

RESULTS: Compared to the lowest TG/HDL-C quartile (<1.94 in men, <1.71 in women), the odds ratios (ORs) for albuminuria in participants who were categorized in the highest TG/HDL-C quartile (≥ 4.98 in men, ≥ 4.20 in women) were 1.30 (95% CI: 0.97-1.75) and 1.36 (1.03-1.79) in men and women, respectively, when adjusted for blood pressure and other covariates. In normotensive men and women, the ORs for albuminuria in the highest TG/HDL-C quartile were 1.58 (1.04-2.39) and 1.68 (1.15-2.45), respectively, even after fully adjusted. In contrast, TG/HDL-C was not associated with albuminuria in hypertensive subjects.

CONCLUSIONS: TG/HDL-C was independently associated with increased prevalence of albuminuria in normotensive rural Korean subjects aged 40 years or more in KGRC.