Triglyceride-glucose index levels in patients with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and the relationship with endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance

Abstract

Introduction: The risk of cardiometabolic diseases is increased in patients with hypogonadism. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a novel surrogate marker of insulin resistance and is associated with cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the TyG index levels and the relationship with endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance in patients with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH). Material and methods: A total of 98 patients with CHH (mean age 21.66 ± 1.99 years) and 98 healthy control subjects (mean age 21.69 ± 1.21 years) were enrolled. The demographic parameters, TyG index, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels were measured for all participants. Results: The patients had higher waist circumference (p < 0.001), triglycerides (p = 0.001), insulin (p = 0.003), HOMA-IR (p = 0.002), ADMA (p < 0.001), and TyG index (p < 0.001) levels and lower HDL-C (p = 0.044) and total testosterone (p < 0.001) levels compared to healthy control subjects. TyG index levels significantly correlated with the ADMA (r = 0.31, p = 0.003) and HOMA-IR (r = 0.32, p < 0.001) levels. TyG index was also determinant of HOMA-IR levels (ß = 0.20, p = 0.018). Conclusion: The results of the present study show that patients with CHH had increased TyG index levels. Also, the TyG index is independently associated with insulin resistance in patients with CHH. Long-term follow-up studies are warranted to find out the role of the TyG index in determining cardiometabolic risk in patients with hypogonadism.