Triglyceride-Glucose Index and Extracellular Volume Fraction in Patients With Heart Failure

Background: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index had been proposed as a reliable surrogate marker of insulin resistance. We aimed to evaluate the association between TyG index and myocardial fibrosis, which was quantified by extracellular volume (ECV) fraction using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) examination, and their prognostic value in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 103 hospitalized HF patients were included. ECV fraction was calculated using CMR measurements and T1 mapping. TyG index was calculated using fasting triglyceride and blood glucose. The primary outcome events were defined as all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization during follow-up. Results: During the median follow-up of 12.3 months, 39 patients (37.9%) experienced primary outcome events and had higher levels of TyG index, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and ECV fraction compared with those without events. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the TyG index was the significant factor determined for ECV fraction (r(partial) = 0.36, P = 0.01). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, presence of diabetes [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-1.62], higher TyG index (HR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.03-4.01), ECV fraction (HR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.04-2.88), and NT-proBNP (HR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.08-4.20) were independent risk factors for the primary outcome events. Conclusions: TyG index is a novel biomarker of myocardial fibrosis in HF patients and can be considered as a useful risk stratification metric in the management of HF.