Hypertriglyceridemia Is an Independent Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Diseases in Korean Adults Aged 30-49 Years: a Nationwide Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted to estimate the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) independently from low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol according to triglyceride (TG) levels in young adults.

METHODS

Subjects aged 30-49 years with data from routine health check-ups provided by the National Health Insurance Service during 2009 were selected. The primary outcome was incident CVD, defined as a composite of ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke during the follow-up period from 2009 to 2018.

RESULTS

The mean age of study subjects (n=1,823,537) was 40.1±5.7 years, and the median follow-up period was 8.3 years. The quartiles of serum TG levels at the baseline were calculated: Q1, <74 mg/dL; Q2, 74-108 mg/dL; Q3, 109-166 mg/dL; and Q4: >166 mg/dL. The highest quartile of TG levels (Q4) had a significantly higher risk of the primary outcome than Q1 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.40 [95% confidence interval; CI, 2.33-2.47]). Q2 and Q3 also experienced the primary outcome more frequently than Q1 (HR, 1.37 [95% CI, 1.33-1.42] and HR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.75-1.86], respectively). Even after adjustment for age, sex, obesity, alcohol drinking amount, smoking, LDL cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lipid-lowering medication use, and family history of CVD, there was a significant dose-response relationship between TG quartiles and the risk of the primary outcome (HR per quartile, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.12-1.14]).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, in the Korean population aged 30-49 years, high TG levels independently increased future CVD risk in both men and women.