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Recently, the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio and pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) have emerged as important indicators of metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the TG/HDL ratio and PAT.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the data of 627 patients who underwent coronary multidetector computed tomography to assess metabolic parameters. Subjects were stratified into two groups based on the PAT volume cutoff associated with MS, specifically 142.2 cm3, and metabolic parameters were compared between these groups. The TG/HDL ratio was divided into tertiles according to the logarithm of TG/HDL, and differences in PAT-related parameters among the tertiles were assessed using analysis of variance. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for high PAT (≥142.2 cm3) across tertiles and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the optimal TG/HDL ratio cutoff for linking with high PAT.
Results
The mean TG/HDL ratio in the high PAT group was 3.6. The TG/HDL ratio demonstrated a strong positive correlation with several metabolic parameters. Individuals in the higher log (TG/HDL) tertiles exhibited a greater prevalence of metabolic disturbances, including increased PAT, and displayed higher ORs for high PAT (second tertile OR, 3.51; third tertile OR, 3.26) after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia status. ROC analysis identified a TG/HDL ratio of 1.918 (P<0.001) as the threshold for elevated PAT levels.
Conclusion
The TG/HDL ratio was positively correlated with high PAT volume, and the TG/HDL ratio cutoff for association with high PAT was determined to be 1.918.
Metabolic syndrome (MS) comprises a group of metabolic abnormalities and is clinically important for identifying individuals at an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1,2]. Elevated plasma triglycerides (TG) and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are associated with MS, and the triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio has become a noteworthy biomarker for identifying insulin resistance, which is one of the key criteria for diagnosing MS [3,4], and for linking it with cardiovascular risk [5]. In a cross-sectional study involving 258 nondiabetic obese patients, McLaughlin et al. [6] demonstrated that the TG/HDL ratio serves as a practical measure for detecting insulin resistance. The cutoff value for the TG/HDL ratio in this context is 3.0. Additionally, a cross-sectional study of a Korean population indicated a strong association between the TG/HDL ratio and MS. The cutoff TG/HDL ratio for the fourth quartile was 3.52, and after adjustment, the odds ratio (OR) for MS in the fourth quartile compared with the first quartile was 29.65 in men and 20.60 in women (P<0.001) [7].
Among the various ectopic fat depots, the pericardial adipose tissue (PAT), located within the pericardium, is a metabolically active adipose tissue depot that is strongly linked to both cardiovascular risk and metabolic disturbances [8,9]. Naser highlighted that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), the principal constituent of PAT, can serve as a valuable imaging marker for evaluating visceral adiposity. This study found that EAT correlated strongly with several visceral fat indices and was related to increased metabolic and CVD risk [10]. Although numerous biomarkers have been proposed for MS, TG/HDL ratio and PAT have demonstrated significant relevance. Although previous studies have reported a relationship between PAT and MS, the role of serum biomarkers, specifically the TG/HDL ratio, an accessible marker of insulin resistance and atherogenic dyslipidemia, in association with elevated PAT volume, remains incompletely characterized.
Therefore, this study was designed to assess the relationship between the TG/HDL ratio and PAT volume, and to determine the TG/HDL ratio cutoff value for identifying individuals with increased PAT.
Methods
Subjects and data collection
This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the records of 627 patients who underwent coronary multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) at a Health Promotion Center in Seoul between 2010 and 2015 (Figure 1). Initially, 777 individuals were considered, but 140 were excluded due to missing data regarding TG/HDL ratio or PAT volume. An additional 10 participants with TG/HDL ratios exceeding 10 were excluded to minimize the influence of outliers, yielding a final sample size of 627. Demographic data collected included age, sex, height, and weight, along with lifestyle factors, such as smoking and menopausal statuses. Anthropometric parameters (waist circumference [WC], body mass index [BMI]), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and laboratory findings were recorded, including fasting glucose, lipid profiles (total cholesterol, TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL cholesterol), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), uric acid, homocysteine, apolipoprotein B (ApoB), TG/HDL ratio, and PAT. The presence of MS was also assessed. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Ajou University Hospital and Boondang CHA Hospital (AJIRB-MED MDB-16-268, CHAMC 2016-10-020), and the requirements for informed consent from individual participants were omitted by the retrospective study design.
Measurement
Definition of MS
MS was defined as the presence of at least three of the following five criteria, as outlined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) [11]: abdominal obesity (WC ≥90 cm for men, ≥85 cm for women), elevated TG (≥150 mg/dL), reduced HDL cholesterol (<40 mg/dL for men, <50 mg/dL for women), elevated blood pressure (systolic ≥130 mm Hg or diastolic ≥85 mm Hg), and elevated fasting glucose.
Anthropometric and laboratory measurements
Medical history and lifestyle characteristics, including smoking and menopausal status (for female participants), were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Menopause was defined as the absence of menstruation for >12 months or surgical menopause resulting from a hysterectomy. Body measurements, such as height, weight, and WC, were obtained by trained personnel who adhered to a standardized protocol with participants standing without footwear. Blood pressure measurements were taken using an automatic sphygmomanometer while the participants were seated after a 10-minute rest period. BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height squared in meters (kg/m2). Smoking status was classified as current smoker (≥5 packs lifetime and currently smoking), former smoker (individuals who had smoked in the past but had discontinued), or never smoker (those without a smoking history). Fasting blood samples were collected from the antecubital vein in the morning to assess serum glucose, lipids, hsCRP, uric acid, and homocysteine levels. All samples were kept at 4 °C and analyzed within 24 hours post-collection.
Measurement of PAT
PAT was defined as the sum of epicardial fat (located within the pericardial sac) and paracardial fat (found outside the parietal pericardium). PAT volume was measured using a 128-slice MDCT scanner (LightSpeed VCT; GE Healthcare). The computed tomography (CT) scanning protocol included a 2.5 mm slice thickness, 120 kV tube voltage, and 120 mAs tube current. Adipose tissue identification relied on CT attenuation values ranging from –190 to –30 Hounsfield units. The anatomical boundaries for the analysis extended from the pulmonary artery bifurcation superiorly to the intra-abdominal cavity inferiorly, with the chest wall as the anterior limit and the esophagus and descending aorta as the posterior limits. Manual delineation of the region of interest was performed on the axial CT images, and the PAT volume was quantified by totaling the voxels within the selected attenuation range.
Statistics
Continuous variables, such as age, height, weight, WC, metabolic parameters (blood pressure, fasting glucose, lipid profiles, hsCRP, uric acid, and homocysteine levels), and PAT volume were reported as means with standard deviations, whereas categorical variables were described as counts with their respective percentages. Participants were classified into two groups based on a predetermined PAT volume cutoff of 142.2 cm3 according to the previous study result [12]. Comparisons of continuous variables between the groups were performed using independent t-tests, and categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test. To examine the association between the TG/HDL ratio and metabolic parameters, including PAT volume, partial correlation analyses controlling for sex were performed. As the TG/HDL ratio displayed a right-skewed distribution, it was log-transformed before further analysis. Subjects were then sorted into tertiles based on their log-transformed TG/HDL values, and metabolic parameters across these tertiles were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Statistically significant results from ANOVA were further investigated using post-hoc analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between TG/HDL tertiles and the presence of high PAT volume (≥142.2 cm3), after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to identify the optimal TG/HDL ratio cutoff for association with increased PAT volume (≥142.2 cm3) associated with MS. All analyses were conducted with IBM SPSS ver. 23.0 (IBM Corp.), and a P-value <0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.
Results
Of the 627 participants, 129 were female (20.6%), and 153 met the criteria for MS (24.4%). Based on a PAT volume threshold of 142.2 cm3, subjects were separated into two groups. The low PAT group had a mean age of 54.5±9.7 years, while the high PAT group had a mean age of 56.2±9.9 years (P=0.036). Compared to the low PAT group, the high PAT group had significantly greater height, weight, BMI, WC, fasting glucose, TG, uric acid, homocysteine, and TG/HDL ratio, as well as significantly lower HDL cholesterol (all P<0.05) (Table 1). The prevalence of MS increased according to the tertiles in each group (Table 2).
Partial correlation analysis after adjusting for sex revealed that the TG/HDL ratio was positively correlated with BMI (r=0.320, P<0.001), WC (r=0.317, P<0.001), fasting glucose (r=0.197, P=0.001), TG (r=0.848, P<0.001), uric acid (r=0.210, P<0.001), ApoB (r=0.289, P<0.001), and PAT volume (r=0.270, P<0.001) (Table 3).
When participants were stratified into tertiles based on the log-transformed TG/HDL ratio, significant patterns emerged. Individuals in the higher tertiles had substantially elevated PAT volume, age, BMI, WC, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, ApoB, and uric acid levels, with all differences reaching statistical significance (P<0.001) (Table 4).
Logistic regression analysis showed that, in comparison to the lowest tertile (T1) of the log TG/HDL ratio, the odds of having a high PAT volume were markedly increased, OR 3.51 (95% CI, 2.12–5.81) in the second tertile (T2) and OR 3.26 (95% CI, 1.78–5.98) in the third tertile (T3), after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia (Table 5).
ROC curve analysis identified 1.918 as the optimal cutoff value of the TG/HDL ratio for association with high PAT volume (P<0.001), with a sensitivity of 0.849 and 1–specificity of 0.571 (Figure 2).
Discussion
This study identified a significant association between the TG/HDL ratio and PAT volume. The rationale for examining the TG/HDL ratio in relation to PAT is based on the hypothesis that this lipid-derived metric, previously recognized as a surrogate for insulin resistance and MS [3,4], could also serve as an indicator of visceral adiposity burden [13]. PAT, a localized visceral fat deposit surrounding the heart, is implicated in metabolic dysregulation through the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and its effects on the coronary vasculature [14,15]. Consequently, investigating the TG/HDL ratio alongside the PAT volume provides an anatomical context for lipid-based metabolic risk assessment. Our findings demonstrated a positive correlation between the TG/HDL ratio and PAT volume (r=0.270, P<0.001), and participants in higher TG/HDL ratio tertiles exhibited increased odds of having high PAT (≥142.2 cm3), which is linked with MS. Additionally, the ROC analysis established a TG/HDL ratio cutoff value of 1.918 for high PAT volume, indicating its potential usefulness as a straightforward screening marker for elevated PAT.
Prior research has also explored the value of the TG/HDL ratio in both MS and CVD [16-19]. A Korean national survey reported that higher TG/HDL ratios were markedly correlated with a greater number of MS components, with individuals in the highest quartile (≥3.52) displaying significantly elevated odds of developing MS in both sexes [7]. Similarly, a cross-sectional analysis of elderly Chinese adults indicated that TG/HDL ratios above 1.437 for men and 1.196 for women were associated with an increased risk of MS [18]. Furthermore, research involving Japanese adults undergoing health checkups found that TG/HDL ratios of 2.967 in men and 2.237 in women are optimally associated with cardiovascular risk [19]. Our findings, consistent with those of previous studies [3,5-9], revealed a robust association between the TG/HDL ratio and both systemic metabolic indicators and local adiposity. The observed progressive increase in PAT volume, BMI, WC, fasting glucose, and uric acid levels across the TG/HDL tertiles reinforces the concept of TG/HDL as a comprehensive marker of metabolic dysfunction, including visceral adipose accumulation. Additionally, consistent with earlier findings [16-19], our post-hoc analysis demonstrated a clear stepwise increase in risk parameters, particularly from the lowest to the highest tertile group.
Numerous studies have underscored the importance of PAT, which is widely considered a metabolically active visceral fat depot and prognostic factor for both MS and CVD [20-22]. In an ARIRANG (Atherosclerosis Risk of Rural Areas in the Korean General Population) study of Korean adults, increased EAT thickness measured using echocardiography emerged as an independent marker of MS, especially in men [20]. Furthermore, a meta-analysis by Rabkin [21] reported a strong association between EAT, visceral adiposity, MS components, and standard cardiovascular risk factors. A separate investigation using MDCT found that EAT may be a promising and accurate marker of MS risk [22]. In contrast to these prior reports, our present study advances the current knowledge by examining the relationship between the TG/HDL ratio and PAT, rather than focusing solely on EAT. While earlier studies predominantly employed imaging methods, such as echocardiography, which are subject to operator variability and offer limited precision in volume measurement, our study employed MDCT to quantify the PAT volume, thereby enhancing the objectivity and reproducibility of the analysis.
Only a limited number of studies have evaluated the TG/HDL ratio as an indirect marker of PAT or explored its clinical relevance for association with PAT-related cardiometabolic risk [23,24]. Salazar et al. [23] reported the associations between visceral fat-related indices and lipid profiles, highlighting the strongest association with visceral fat rating, implying that EAT may serve as an effective and reliable measure for assessing visceral obesity and cardiometabolic risk. Based on this analysis, although certain adiposity indices, such as the visceral adiposity index, may offer limited additional clinical information, their emergence highlights the critical role of visceral fat distribution in cardiometabolic risk stratification [25-27]. A 2024 study in Korean patients observed that TG/HDL was linked to yearly changes in volume and EAT [24]. However, most existing research on TG/HDL and visceral fat has not established a direct correlation between the TG/HDL ratio and PAT volume, nor has it provided a definitive cutoff for association with MS.
We employed a distinctive methodology to investigate PAT as a possible intermediate phenotype linking dyslipidemia to MS. The evaluation of the TG/HDL ratio in relation to PAT volume is important because of its clinical practicality. While the TG/HDL ratio is easily obtainable and inexpensive, assessing PAT volume relies on advanced imaging, such as cardiac CT, which entails higher expense, radiation risk, and limited suitability in primary care settings [28]. Therefore, determining a TG/HDL threshold indicative of increased PAT volume is of practical significance. Identifying a TG/HDL threshold associated with elevated PAT levels can aid in recognizing individuals at a greater risk for MS, serving as a practical link between biochemical and anatomical risk markers. These results support the use of TG/HDL ratio as an accessible and economical biomarker for identifying individuals at risk for increased visceral adiposity and MS. The TG/HDL ratio can be easily determined through a simple blood test, and the originality of this study lies in the fact that the cutoff point for suggesting a correlation with PAT was not presented in previous studies. In addition, even a small increase in the TG/HDL ratio (cutoff value, 1.918) was associated with an increase in PAT, considering the small area of PAT in contrast to the large area of visceral abdominal fat. The core of this study highlights a correlation between increased PAT and MS, subjects with prolonged increased TG/HDL among the MS items should consider MDCT measurements at least once or check their cardiovascular health status in advance. Additionally, exercise and nutritional education to lower TG or increase HDL levels should be considered, and drug therapy should be considered if necessary.
Despite these strengths, several limitations of this study must be acknowledged. First, the cross-sectional study design prevented a causal interpretation between TG/HDL ratio and PAT volumes. TG/HDL and PAT levels are not representative of these diseases. However, the TG/HDL ratio has been used as an indirect indicator of MS or other metabolic conditions. As abdominal obesity is dangerous, we assumed that an increase in PAT is related to metabolic problems; even though it is a small change in the limited space around the heart, we focused on the relationship between TG/HDL and PAT. Second, although the sample size was fairly large, recruitment from a health-screening cohort may limit generalizability owing to selection bias and does not represent the entire Korean population. Third, since the data for this study included only 20.6% of females, there were limitations in analyzing the data by gender. Additionally, lifestyle factors, including alcohol consumption, which may affect TG, TG/HDL ratio, and PAT in the short- and long-term periods, and genetic influences on fat distribution, were not comprehensively controlled. Finally, although a TG/HDL ratio cutoff value for high PAT was proposed, further research is needed to confirm its ability to predict future cardiovascular events longitudinally.
In conclusion, the TG/HDL ratio was significantly associated with both PAT volume and metabolic parameters, and the TG/HDL threshold of 1.918 most effectively identified individuals with elevated PAT levels. Our findings underscore that the TG/HDL ratio is a practical and accessible biomarker that mirrors visceral adiposity, as assessed by PAT volume, and is ultimately linked to MS risk. This biomarker may assist clinicians in identifying individuals at higher risk of MS and excess visceral fat accumulation. Further prospective studies are necessary to investigate this pathway and to determine whether interventions aimed at modifying the TG/HDL ratio can result in measurable reductions in PAT volume and related cardiometabolic risks.
Notes
Conflict of interest
No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
Funding
None.
Data availability
Data of this research are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Author contribution
Conceptualization: NSJ, BHC. Methodology: NSJ, BHC, DEC. Software: NSJ, DEC, JI. Validation: NSJ, DEC, JI, YC. Formal analysis: NSJ, DEC. Investigation: NSJ, BHC. Resources: BHC. Data curation: NSJ. Project administration: NSJ, BHC, DEC. Visualization: DEC, JI, YC. Supervision: NSJ, BHC. Writingoriginal draft: DEC. Writing–review & editing: all authors. Final approval of the manuscript: all authors.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio in relation to high pericardial adipose tissue (PAT). This ROC curve demonstrates the optimal association between TG/HDL ratio (1.918; P<0.001) and high PAT at the sensitivity point (0.849) and 1–specificity (0.571) (specificity, 0.429).
Table 1.
General characteristics of the study population (n=627)
The numbers and prevalence of metabolic syndrome (n=181) both in tertiles of TG/HDL ratio and PAT
Variable
T1
T2
T3
P-value
TG/HDL ratio
12 (6.6)
44 (24.3)
125 (69.1)
<0.001
PAT
38 (21.0)
52 (28.7)
91 (50.3)
<0.001
Values are presented as number (%). Among a total of 627 subjects, the number of people with metabolic syndrome was 181 (28.9%), and the proportion of metabolic syndrome is shown according to the tertile of each group.
TG/HDL, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PAT, pericardial adipose tissue.
Table 3.
Correlation between TG/HDL ratio and other factors related to PAT
Values are presented as mean±standard deviation or as number (%). P-values were determined using analysis of variance.
PAT, pericardial adipose tissue; TG/HDL, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Different superscript letters indicate significant differences between groups in post-hoc analysis (P<0.05):
a)Comparison of T1 to T2;
b)Comparison of T1 to T3; and
c)Comparison of T2 to T3.
Table 5.
Odds ratios for high PAT according to log (TG/HDL ratio) tertile groups
Variable
Unadjusted OR (95% CI)
OR (95% CI)
Model 1
Model 2
Model 3
T1
1
1
1
1
T2
3.87 (2.45–6.17)
4.30 (2.67–6.91)
4.05 (2.51–6.54)
3.51 (2.12–5.81)
T3
4.52 (2.84–7.20)
5.45 (3.36–8.85)
5.05 (3.10–8.23)
3.26 (1.78–5.98)
Model 1: adjusted for age and sex; Model 2: adjusted for age, sex, and smoking; and Model 3: adjusted for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia. T1: 0.344–1.906; T2: 1.913–3.378; and T3: 3.400–9.878.
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Figure. 2. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio in relation to high pericardial adipose tissue (PAT). This ROC curve demonstrates the optimal association between TG/HDL ratio (1.918; P<0.001) and high PAT at the sensitivity point (0.849) and 1–specificity (0.571) (specificity, 0.429).
Graphical abstract
Figure. 1.
Figure. 2.
Graphical abstract
The cutoff value of serum triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio of high pericardial adipose tissue in Korean: a retrospective study
Characteristic
PAT lowa) (n=415)
PAT highb) (n=212)
P-value
Age (y)
54.5±9.7
56.2±9.9
0.036
No. of females
99 (23.9)
30 (14.2)
0.004
Height (cm)
167.0±8.0
170.2±7.9
<0.001
Weight (kg)
66.9±11.0
76.2±10.9
<0.001
Body mass incex (kg/m2)
23.9±2.7
26.2±2.6
<0.001
Waist circumference (cm)
85.4±7.4
93.2±8.1
<0.001
Glucose (mg/dL)
97.2±23.7
101.5±21.9
0.029
SBP (mm Hg)
123.8±13.0
125.9±14.0
0.070
DBP (mm Hg)
80.6±9.0
81.7±9.73
0.144
Total cholesterol (mg/dL)
207.4±37.7
204.0±40.1
0.290
TG (mg/dL)
128.6±67.1
163.2±76.5
<0.001
LDL (mg/dL)
130.6±33.1
127.3±35.6
0.244
HDL (mg/dL)
53.3±13.2
48.1±10.6
<0.001
hsCRP (mg/dL)
0.30±3.32
0.19±0.36
0.629
Uric acid (mg/dL)
5.5±1.3
6.0±1.4
<0.001
Homocysteine (μmol/L)
10.9±3.9
11.8±4.6
0.021
Apolipoprotein B (mg/dL)
107.9±25.6
112.2±24.2
0.090
TG/HDL ratio
2.7±1.7
3.6±2.0
<0.001
PAT (cm3)
105.3±23.6
177.4±31.2
0.001
Metabolic syndrome
80 (19.3)
73 (34.4)
<0.001
Variable
T1
T2
T3
P-value
TG/HDL ratio
12 (6.6)
44 (24.3)
125 (69.1)
<0.001
PAT
38 (21.0)
52 (28.7)
91 (50.3)
<0.001
Variable
ra)
P-value
Age
–0.120
0.014
Body mass index
0.320
<0.001
Waist circumference
0.317
<0.001
Glucose
0.197
<0.001
Systolic blood pressure
0.028
0.570
Diastolic blood pressure
0.029
0.553
Total cholesterol
0.115
0.019
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
–0.021
0.673
High sensitivity C-reactive protein
0.077
0.116
Uric acid
0.210
<0.001
Homocysteine
0.076
0.118
Apolipoprotein B
0.289
<0.001
PAT
0.270
<0.001
Variable
T1 (n=209)
T2 (n=209)
T3 (n=209)
P-value
PAT (cm3)
110.9±36.8
136.2±43.2a)
141.8±42.9b)
<0.001
High PAT
32 (15.3)
86 (41.1)
94 (45.0)
<0.001
Age (y)
57.5±9.0
55.0±10.3a)
52.7±9.5b)
<0.001
Body mass index (kg/m2)
23.2±2.9
25.1±2.5a)
25.8±2.7b,c)
<0.001
Waist circumference (cm)
83.7±8.0
89.4±7.4a)
91.1±8.2b)
<0.001
Glucose (mg/dL)
93.1±23.0
101.5±22.8a)
101.4±22.8b)
<0.001
Total cholesterol (mg/dL)
203.4±36.3
201.9±39.4
213.5±39.0b,c)
0.003
Apolipoprotein B (mg/dL)
99.7±22.1
109.0±26.4a)
118.9±23.3b,c)
<0.001
Uric acid (mg/dL)
5.2±1.2
5.8±1.3a)
6.0±1.3b)
<0.001
Variable
Unadjusted OR (95% CI)
OR (95% CI)
Model 1
Model 2
Model 3
T1
1
1
1
1
T2
3.87 (2.45–6.17)
4.30 (2.67–6.91)
4.05 (2.51–6.54)
3.51 (2.12–5.81)
T3
4.52 (2.84–7.20)
5.45 (3.36–8.85)
5.05 (3.10–8.23)
3.26 (1.78–5.98)
Table 1. General characteristics of the study population (n=627)
Values are presented as mean±standard deviation or number (%).
Table 2. The numbers and prevalence of metabolic syndrome (n=181) both in tertiles of TG/HDL ratio and PAT
Values are presented as number (%). Among a total of 627 subjects, the number of people with metabolic syndrome was 181 (28.9%), and the proportion of metabolic syndrome is shown according to the tertile of each group.
TG/HDL, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PAT, pericardial adipose tissue.
Table 3. Correlation between TG/HDL ratio and other factors related to PAT
TG/HDL, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PAT, pericardial adipose tissue.
Partial correlation coefficient adjusted for sex.
Table 4. Comparison of PAT and metabolic parameters across tertiles of log (TG/HDL ratio)
Values are presented as mean±standard deviation or as number (%). P-values were determined using analysis of variance.
PAT, pericardial adipose tissue; TG/HDL, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Different superscript letters indicate significant differences between groups in post-hoc analysis (P<0.05):
Comparison of T1 to T2;
Comparison of T1 to T3; and
Comparison of T2 to T3.
Table 5. Odds ratios for high PAT according to log (TG/HDL ratio) tertile groups
Model 1: adjusted for age and sex; Model 2: adjusted for age, sex, and smoking; and Model 3: adjusted for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia. T1: 0.344–1.906; T2: 1.913–3.378; and T3: 3.400–9.878.
