Abstract
BACKGROUND: The hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype was introduced as a means of identifying individuals at risk of developing metabolic syndrome as well as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. However, studies surrounding the prevalence of the phenotype and its relationship with established markers of cardiometabolic risk, especially in the Nigerian population, remain sparse. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the HTGW phenotype and explore its relationship with cardiovascular risk markers, namely Castelli Risk Indices I and II (CRI-I and CRI-II), Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) and serum triglyceride-HDL cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL). METHODOLOGY: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the records of 206 patients presenting at a cardiac hospital from November 2022 to October 2023 were analysed. The HTGW phenotype was deemed present with a waist circumference of at least 94cm in men or 80cm in women and a serum triglyceride level of 150mg/dl or more in both sexes. RESULTS: At-risk waist circumference was more prevalent in women (92.7% vs 77.3%; p=0.002). The prevalence of the HTWG phenotype in the patient cohort was 29.6%, with more males than females (31.8% vs 27.1%) presenting with the phenotype (p=0.004). Patients with the phenotype also had higher systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides, AIP, and TG/HDL (all p<0.0005). The HTWG phenotype was also associated with a lower HDL and LDL cholesterol (p<0.0005) as well as a lower CRI-II (p=0.049). CONCLUSION: The HTWG phenotype correlates with an increased cardiometabolic risk among Nigerians. This finding warrants the implementation of routine anthropometric and serum triglyceride measurements in screening programmes and hospitals for the early detection of individuals at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.