The Association Between the Triglyceride–Glucose Index and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the triglyceride–glucose index (TGI) and the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This study included 1348 type 2 diabetic patients who attended the endocrinology clinic at Jordan University Hospital between March 2023 and September 2023. Medical records were reviewed to identify patients with documented cardiovascular disease, and the triglyceride–glucose index (TGI) was calculated for each patient. Results: Our results showed that the TGI was higher among patients who developed any major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), and/or myocardial infarction (MI) compared to those who did not (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Significantly higher TGI values in males were associated with higher odds of a MACE, stroke, and CHF; higher TGI values in females were associated with higher odds of a MACE, CAD, and MI. Higher TGI values in patients younger than 60 were associated with higher odds of a MACE, CAD, CHF, and MI, while in patients older than 60, higher TGI values were associated with higher odds of CAD and MI. The TGI value that was the most predictive of a MACE in our population was >9.36, >9.39 for CAD, and >9.40 and >9.39 for CHF and MI, respectively. Conclusion: The TGI was shown to be associated with a significantly higher risk of a MACE, CAD, CHF, and MI in the whole population, along with stroke in males only. The TGI was more strongly associated with MACEs in patients younger than 60 years compared to older patients. In conclusion, the TGI was associated with cardiovascular outcomes in this diabetic cohort; however, its discriminative ability was modest (AUC 0.55–0.64). This indicates that the TGI alone is insufficient as a predictive tool and should be interpreted alongside established risk factors. Prospective studies are needed to clarify its incremental value in risk prediction.