title: Triglyceride to HDL-C ratio and increased arterial stiffness in children, adolescents, and young adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lipid levels are linked to early atherosclerosis. Risk stratification may be improved by using triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C), which relates to arterial stiffness in adults. We tested whether TG/HDL-C was an independent predictor of arterial stiffness in youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects 10 to 26 years old (mean 18.9 years, 39% male, 56% non-Caucasian, n = 893) had laboratory, anthropometric, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness data collected (brachial distensibility, augmentation index, carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity). Subjects were stratified into tertiles of TG/HDL-C (low, n = 227; mid, n = 288; high, n = 379).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a progressive rise in cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and arterial stiffness across TG/HDL-C ratio. The high TG/HDL-C ratio group had the stiffest vessels (all P < .03 by analysis of variance). TG/HDL-C as a continuous variable was an independent determinant of brachial distensibility in CV risk factor adjusted model and for carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity in obese subjects, with trend for higher augmentation index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TG/HDL-C, an estimate of small, dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is an independent determinant of arterial stiffness in adolescents and young adults, especially in obese youth. These data suggest that use of TG/HDL-C may be helpful in identifying young adults requiring aggressive intervention to prevent atherosclerotic CV diseases.
authors: Preventive Cardiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC-7002, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. elaine.urbina@cchmc.org
authors: Elaine M
authors: EM
authors: Urbina
authors: Philip R
authors: PR
authors: Khoury
authors: Connie E
authors: CE
authors: McCoy
authors: Lawrence M
authors: LM
authors: Dolan
authors: Stephen R
authors: SR
authors: Daniels
authors: Thomas R
authors: TR
authors: Kimball
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides