Background: Growing body of evidence suggests that the atherogenic dyslipidemia phenotype is a precursor to Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Nonetheless, there is limited research regarding the association between Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) and PAD which utilized a community population-based database in the United States. We sought to fill this knowledge gap. Methods: A total of 3,517 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 cycles were enrolled in our study. AIP was calculated as log10 (triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Logistic regression models were adopted to reveal the relationship of AIP and PAD. Additionally, stratified and interaction analyses were also undertaken to see if the relationship was stable in different subgroups. Results: Participants in the higher tertile of AIP tended to have higher prevalence of PAD. A positive correlation was identified between AIP increase and PAD after fully multivariate adjustment (OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.06-1.59). The multivariable-adjusted OR and 95% CI of the highest AIP tertile compared with the lowest tertile was 1.50 (1.07-2.1). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the positive association between AIP and PAD was persistent across population subgroups. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a positive association between AIP and the incidence of PAD among adults in American adults. Specifically, 1 unit increase in AIP led to a 30% greater risk of PAD.
Keywords: atherogenic index of plasma; cross-sectional study; national health and nutrition examination survey; peripheral arterial disease.