Association between atherogenic index of plasma and subclinical renal damage over a 12-year follow-up: Hanzhong adolescent hypertension study

Background: A high atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and higher serum uric acid levels, but whether AIP is a strong risk factor for developing subclinical renal damage (SRD) is unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect of AIP variations on the prevalence of SRD in a 12-year follow-up study. Methods: (1) The cross-sectional study enrolled 2485 participants from the Hanzhong cohort in 2017; (2) A total of 202 participants were included in the small longitudinal cohort from 2005 to 2017. Longitudinal analysis was used to determine whether an elevated AIP predicts the development of SRD. Results: In the cross-sectional analysis, the AIP level was correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-to-creatine ratio (uACR) (P < 0.05). The age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for prevalent SRD in men in the high AIP group was 1.924 (1.355–2.732) (P < 0.001), while in women, the OR was 1.616 (1.049–2.490) (P = 0.030) in the high AIP group. In the longitudinal analysis, significantly higher uACR levels were found in participants with normal AIP at baseline and elevated AIP in 2013 (P < 0.05). The adjusted OR for prevalent SRD in the incident AIP group was 4.741 (1.668–13.472) (P = 0.003) compared with the control group. Conclusions: Our study indicates that elevated AIP increased the risk of developing SRD and was associated with uACR and eGFR. As a simple marker of CVD risk, AIP may emerge as a novel and reliable indicator of SRD.