Association of Atherogenic Index of Plasma With Retinopathy and Nephropathy in Adult Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Aged >18 Years

Objectives In this study, we assessed the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in relation to retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods In this cross-sectional study, there were 4,358 inpatients with T2DM. The patients were divided into 4 groups: T2DM without complications (DM group), T2DM complicated with retinopathy alone and nephropathy alone (DR-alone and DN-alone groups) and T2DM complicated with both DR and DN (DRN group). AIP was calculated by the formula of log (triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Results AIPs in the DR-alone, DN-alone and DRN groups were significantly higher than those in the DM group, with the DRN group having the highest AIP level. Moreover, patients with proliferative DR had higher AIPs than patients with nonproliferative DR in the DR-alone and DRN groups, and patients with macroalbuminuria had higher AIPs than patients with microalbuminuria in DN-alone and DRN groups. The highest AIP quartile group had the highest proportion of DRN compared with the other quartile groups. The DRN group had a maximal area under the curve (AUC) for AIP on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (AUC=0.735). In the subgroup analyses by age, the AUCs of patients <65 years of age were all greater than those of patients ≥65 years of age. Logistic regression analysis showed that AIP had the highest correlation with age <65 years in individuals with DRN, and this association remained significant after adjustment with 3 models. Conclusions AIP is positively associated with both occurrence and severity of diabetic microvascular complications. It can predict their presence in T2DM, especially in those <65 years of age with DRN.