Cardiovascular therapeutics
Association of the C-Reactive Protein-Triglyceride-Glucose Index With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in U.S. Adults: Insights From NHANES 1999-2010
By Wang X, Ma S, Hai X and 6 others.
Abstract
Background
CTI combines C-reactive protein with the triglyceride-glucose index and may capture concurrent inflammatory and insulin-resistance-related metabolic disturbance. Emerging cohort evidence has linked higher CTI values to all-cause and CVD mortality, but the robustness, dose-response characteristics, and predictive relevance of these associations remain uncertain. This study evaluated the associations of CTI with all-cause and CVD mortality among U.S. adults.
Methods
Participants were selected from NHANES survey cycles conducted from 1999 through 2010, yielding an analytic sample of 10,528 adults aged 18 years or older. The CTI was computed using the formula: CTI = 0.412 × ln [CRP (mg/L)] + ln {[triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)]/2}. We used weighted Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the relationships of CTI with all-cause and CVD mortality. Restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess nonlinearity, followed by exploratory two-piecewise Cox regression to examine possible changes in slope. Beyond the primary analysis, the robustness and potential heterogeneity of these associations were further assessed using sensitivity, subgroup, and interaction analyses.