Atherogenic plasma index is associated with ischemıc cerebrovascular events due to carotid artery disease

Abstract

Aims: Low molecular weight lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride (Tg), among cardiovascular disease risk factors, are replaced by markers with higher sensitivity and specificity. The atherogenic plasma index (API) has a strong predictive power for cardiovascular diseases. In our study, we aimed to compare the predictive power of API and other lipid parameters in detecting carotid artery disease (CAS) in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: A total of 878 individuals were analyzed, and 583 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of carotid artery disease in the Doppler ultrasound examination. Demographic data and lipid parameters were compared between both groups. Results: The mean age of the patients with CAS was statistically significantly higher than the other group (74.33±11.27 vs 70.11±13.57; p=0.002). The Tg/HDL ratio was higher in patients with CAS than those without (3.80±2.83 vs 3.69±2.57; p=0.048). API was found to be statistically significantly higher in the group of patients with CAS compared to the other group (0.67±0.32 vs 0.48±0.25; p=0.024). Tg/HDL ratio and API were determined as predictive parameters for CAS in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular stroke. [OR: 1.345 (0.712-1.437); p=0.048, OR: 7.21 (0.881-8.056); p=0.023]. Conclusion: Conflicting results regarding the relation between atherosclerosis and conventional lipid parameters led to more specific subgroups being investigated. API shows a good correlation with the highly sensitive LDL subfraction in terms of atherosclerosis. API is a feasible variable predicting the presence of CAS in patients with ischemic stroke.