Hypertriglyceridemic waist and subclinical atherosclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease with a long asymptomatic period. Disease progression can eventually lead to acute cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and sudden cardiac death. Hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) has received much attention recently as a cheap and non-invasive test. The purpose of our study was to explore whether the HTGW phenotype could be used as an effective test for subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods: We screened seven databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, WANFANG, CBM, and Web of Science) using both free terms and MeSH terms. Six published studies which evaluate the connection between HTGW and subclinical atherosclerosis were selected. Total carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaque are surrogate markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and predictors of cardiovascular events. Demographic and clinical data, data on HTGW and markers associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, along with odds ratios (OR), relative risks (RR), and hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals were extracted. Data were then integrated using Stata 16. Results: A total of six studies conformed to inclusion criteria and revealed that HTGW is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.63-3.51). Conclusion: Available evidence supports the notion that HTGW can be an effective and inexpensive means of testing for atherosclerosis.