Elevated Triglycerides (≥150 mg/dL) and High Triglycerides (200–499 mg/dL) Are Significant Predictors of New Heart Failure Diagnosis: A Real-World Analysis of High-Risk Statin-Treated Patients

PURPOSE: Real-world data may provide insight into relationships between high triglycerides (TG), a modifiable cardiovascular (CV) risk factor, and increased heart failure (HF) risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective administrative claims analysis included statin-treated patients aged ≥45 years with diabetes and/or atherosclerotic CV disease enrolled in 2010 and followed for ≥6 months to March 2016. Patients with TG ≥150 mg/dL and a comparator cohort with TG <150 mg/dL and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol >40 mg/dL were included. A sub-analysis was conducted in patients with TG 200–499 mg/dL. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated from multivariate analyses controlled for patient characteristics and comorbidities using Cox proportional hazard modeling. New diagnosis of HF required diagnosis in the follow-up period without prior evidence of HF. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed a 19% higher rate of new HF diagnosis in the TG ≥150 mg/dL cohort (HR=1.192; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.134–1.252; P<0.001; n=24,043) and a 24% higher rate in the TG 200–499 mg/dL sub-cohort (HR=1.235; 95% CI=1.160–1.315; P<0.001; n=11,657), each versus the comparator cohort (n=30,218). CONCLUSION: In a real-world analysis of statin-treated patients with high CV risk, elevated and high TG were significant predictors of new HF diagnosis.