The role of triglyceride-glucose index in the differential diagnosis of atherosclerotic stroke and cardiogenic stroke

This study aims to investigate the role of the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index in differentiating cardiogenic stroke (CE) from large atherosclerotic stroke (LAA).

In this retrospective study, patients with acute ischemic stroke were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Lianyungang Second People’s Hospital and Lianyungang First People’s Hospital. Their general data, medical history and laboratory indicators were collected and TyG index was calculated. Groups were classified by the TyG index quartile to compare the differences between groups. Logistic regression was utilized to assess the relationship between the TyG index and LAA. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the TyG index in differentiating LAA from CE.

The study recruited 1149 patients. After adjusting for several identified risk factors, groups TyG-Q2, TyG-Q3, and TyG-Q4 had a higher risk of developing LAA compared to group TyG-Q1(odds ratio (OR) = 1.63,95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11–2.39, OR = 1.72,95%CI = 1.16–2.55, OR = 2.06,95%CI = 1.36–3.09). TyG has certain diagnostic value in distinguishing LAA from CE(AUC = 0.595, 95%CI0.566–0.623;P<0.001).

Summarily, the TyG index has slight significance in the identification of LAA and CE; it is particularly a marker for their preliminary identification.