The Journal of Practical Medicine >

2026 , Vol. 42 >Issue 4: 603 - 610

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.04.009

Chronic Disease Control

Study of the diagnostic value of serum adhesion factors and the triglyceride-glucose index for carotid artery lesions in elderly hypertensive patients with metabolically associated fatty liver disease

  • Xiujie WANG ,
  • Guodong ZHANG ,
  • Zhenguo QIAO ,
  • Qiyuan SUN ,
  • Gengxu LI ,
  • Guojie ZHAI ,
  • Xuehua JIAO
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  • 1.Endocrinology Department，Suzhou Ninth Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University，Xuzhou Medical University Affiliated Suzhou Bay Clinical College，Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital，Suzhou 215200，Jiangsu，China
    3.Digestive System Department，Suzhou Ninth Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University，Xuzhou Medical University Affiliated Suzhou Bay Clinical College，Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital，Suzhou 215200，Jiangsu，China
    4.Department of Neurology，Suzhou Ninth Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University，Xuzhou Medical University Affiliated Suzhou Bay Clinical College，Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital，Suzhou 215200，Jiangsu，China
    2.Endocrinology Department，Suzhou Yongding Hospital，Suzhou 215200，Jiangsu，China

Received date: 2025-09-17

  Online published: 2026-02-25

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Abstract

Objective To assess the diagnostic effectiveness of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1）， vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1）， and the triglyceride-glucose index （TyG index） in detecting abnormalities of carotid artery intima-media thickness （IMT） in elderly hypertensive patients with metabolically associated steatotic liver disease （MASLD）. Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on 189 elderly hypertensive patients with MASLD who were admitted to our institution between June 2021 and July 2023. All the subjects had their carotid IMT measured by color Doppler ultrasound and were classified into two groups： the normal group （IMT < 1.0 mm） and the thickened group （IMT ≥ 1.0 mm） according to the ultrasound results. Clinical data collection involved quantifying serum ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， calculating the triglyceride glucose （TyG） index from fasting glucose and triglyceride levels， and conducting a comparative analysis of the differences in relevant parameters between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the independent risk factors for IMT thickening， and Pearson correlation analysis was employed to assess the relationships between serum biomarkers and the IMT status. The diagnostic performance was evaluated through receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve analysis. Results IMT thickening was detected in 71 patients （37.57%）. In comparison with the normal IMT group， the thickened IMT group showed significantly higher levels of systolic/diastolic blood pressure， triglycerides， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， serum ICAM - 1， VCAM - 1， and TyG index （all P < 0.05）. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that these parameters were independent risk factors for IMT thickening. The levels of serum ICAM - 1， VCAM - 1， and TyG index were positively correlated with IMT thickening （IMT ≥1.0 mm） （all P < 0.05）. ROC analysis indicated that the combined biomarker assessment had better diagnostic accuracy than individual markers （P < 0.05）. Conclusions Serum ICAM-1， VCAM-1， and the TyG index exhibit high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for IMT abnormalities in this patient population， which validates their utility as adjunctive tools for carotid artery lesion risk stratification in elderly hypertensive patients with MASLD.

Key words： serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1; vascular cell adhesion molecule-1; triglyceride-glucose index; metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease with hypertension; carotid intima-media thickening

Cite this article

Xiujie WANG , Guodong ZHANG , Zhenguo QIAO , Qiyuan SUN , Gengxu LI , Guojie ZHAI , Xuehua JIAO . Study of the diagnostic value of serum adhesion factors and the triglyceride-glucose index for carotid artery lesions in elderly hypertensive patients with metabolically associated fatty liver disease[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2026 , 42(4) : 603 -610 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.04.009

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