The Association of Triglycerides Glucose Index with Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of the Triglycerides glucose index, (TyG index), a marker of insulin resistance, with diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Method: This is a cross sectional study, carried out during the period from April 2016 to November 2017. 416 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in this study (194 male and 222 female). Fasting blood sample was obtained to measure the blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and lipid profile. Patients were referred to ophthalmological assessment for the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Body mass index and waist circumference were measured by standardized procedure. TyG index was calculated according to a published formula. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS

Results: Seventy patients had diabetic retinopathy (28 male and 42 female).TyG index was higher in patients with diabetic retinopathy, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy increased across TyG index quartiles (p=0.000). The correlation between TyG index and the presence of retinopathy was significant (r = 0.247, P=0.000) after adjusting for the confounders. Area under the curve showed that TyG index has a good discriminating power to predict the presence of diabetic retinopathy.

Conclusion: TyG index could be used as an indicator of the presence of diabetic retinopathy. It shows a good association with diabetic retinopathy