Elevated triglycerides rather than other lipid parameters are associated with increased urinary albumin to creatinine ratio in the general population of China: a report from the REACTION study

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidaemia has always been regarded as the cornerstone of arteriosclerosis and is related to the pathogenesis of renal insufficiency. However, it is unclear which routinely available lipid parameter is related to urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR). The purpose of this study was to examine the lipid abnormalities associated with UACR in the general population in China. METHODS: The present study was nested in an ongoing Risk Evaluation of cAncers in Chinese diabetic Individuals: A lONgitudinal (REACTION) study, which was designed to demonstrate the association of abnormal glucose metabolism with the risk of cancer in the Chinese population. This cross-sectional study included 34, 569 subjects (11, 390 males and 23, 179 females) from 8 different regional community cohorts, with an average age of 57.9 years. The UACR data were divided into the < 25% group, the 25–49% group, the 50–74% group, and the ≥ 75% group according to the quartile division of the centre where the subjects visited. The lipid classes were defined according to the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of dyslipidaemia in Chinese adults. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of the lipid parameters and UACR. RESULTS: Multivariable regression analysis revealed that compared with the other lipid parameters, triglycerides (TG) showed an adjusted odds ratio that was significant in model 1–4. This relationship was attenuated after adjusting for Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP), but TG ≥ 2.3 mmol/L was still significantly associated with UACR in total subjects and in both men and women (OR: 1.131, 95% CI 1.065–1.203, P < 0.001 in total subjects; OR: 1.134, 95% CI 1.022–1.258, P = 0.017 in men; OR: 1.129, 95% CI 1.046–1.219, P = 0.002 in women). In the stratified analysis, elevated TG was significantly associated with increased urinary albumin in subjects with eGFR ≥ 90 mL/min per 1.73 m(2), 5.6 ≤ FBG < 7.0 or 7.8 ≤ PBG < 11.1 mmol/L, 24 ≤ BMI < 28 kg/m(2), 120 ≤ SBP < 140 and/or 80 ≤ DBP < 90 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that high TG levels rather than total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are associated with UACR in the general population in China. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12933-019-0863-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.