Increased atherogenic index of plasma predicts subclinical renal damage

A high atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is a strong risk factor for developing subclinical renal damage (SRD) and is associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-to-creatine ratio (uACR), a recent study has shown.

“As a simple marker of cardiovascular disease risk, AIP may emerge as a novel and reliable indicator of SRD,” the investigators said.

The cross-sectional analysis revealed the association of AIP level with both eGFR and uACR (p<0.05). In the high AIP group, the age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for prevalent SRD were 1.924 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.355–2.732; p<0.001) in men and 1.616 (95 percent CI, 1.049–2.490; p=0.030) in women.

The longitudinal analysis showed a significantly increased uACR (p<0.05) in participants with normal AIP at baseline and elevated AIP in 2013. The adjusted OR for prevalent SRD in the incident AIP group relative to the control group was 4.741 (95 percent CI, 1.668–13.472; p=0.003).

In this study, the investigators sought to determine the effect of AIP variations on the prevalence of SRD in a 12-year follow-up. A total of 2,485 participants from the Hanzhong cohort in 2017 were included in the cross-sectional study and 202 individuals in the small longitudinal cohort from 2005–2017. Longitudinal analysis was carried out to determine whether an elevated AIP predicted the development of SRD.

“A high AIP is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and higher serum uric acid levels,” the investigators noted.