Atherogenic index of plasma as a predictor of coronary artery disease: a cohort study in south of Iran

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is an atherosclerotic disease of an inflammatory nature. Previous studies examining the relationship between triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol have highlighted the importance of plasma atherogenic index (AIP) as an important predictor of coronary heart disease. However, due to the lack of adequate information on this topic, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between AIP and coronary heart disease risk.

Results: This study included 2,226 women and 1,690 men aged 35-70 years who participated in the Bandar Kong Cohort study and met the eligibility criteria. The data was collected using a checklist and questionnaires, which were designed by experienced individuals. After participants completed a registration form and gave informed consent, face-to-face interviews were conducted by trained experts. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire had been verified by the national cohort team prior to its use. The Ethics Committee of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences (IR.HUMS.REC.1400.171) approved the study. Data from the initial cohort survey using SPSS software version 25, were analyzed to include several factors, including age, sex, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), physical activity level, socioeconomic status, AIP, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. The prevalence of coronary heart disease was found to be 7.5% higher in people with a BMI of 25 or higher. Also, Individuals with low physical activity had a higher prevalence. Individuals with CAD had significantly higher mean values for the AIP, age, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure (0.46, 57.50, 128.43, and 81.10, respectively) compared to those without CAD. Furthermore, patients with CAD had lower years of education (2649.45 and 3.59) than individuals without CAD (P < 0.05). Importantly, our findings showed that AIP increased the odds ratio of coronary heart disease by 1.86 as an independent risk factor.

Conclusions: Based on our investigation, the AIP is a valuable and independent predictive risk factor for coronary artery disease. This index can be utilized effectively due to its accessibility and affordability, making it a promising tool for risk assessment in clinical settings.