In 712 patients with acute ischemic stroke, both a high TyG index and the presence of ICAS were associated with poor 90-day functional outcome in univariate analysis, and a high TyG index significantly increased risk of poor outcome in patients with severe ICAS or multiple ICAS lesions, though the combined high TyG/ICAS category was non-significant and TyG mediation of the ICAS effect was not significant.
Elevated TyG index was associated with poor 90-day functional outcome after ischemic stroke in univariate analysis.
Presence of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) was associated with poor functional outcome in univariate analysis.
The combination of high TyG index and ICAS showed only a non-significant trend toward poor outcome.
Among patients with severe ICAS, a high TyG index significantly increased the risk of poor outcome.
Among patients with multiple ICAS lesions, a high TyG index significantly increased the risk of poor outcome.
The TyG index did not significantly mediate the association between ICAS and poor functional outcome.
The authors concluded that combined assessment of TyG index and ICAS burden shows promise for identifying stroke patients at high risk of poor prognosis.
This study looked back at records of 712 people who had an ischemic stroke (caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain). Researchers examined two factors: narrowing of arteries inside the skull (intracranial atherosclerosis) and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a blood-test-based estimate of insulin resistance. They asked whether having both was linked to worse recovery, defined as significant disability 90 days after the stroke. Both a higher TyG index and the presence of narrowed brain arteries were individually linked to a higher chance of poor recovery. When looking at people with narrowed arteries overall, the added effect of a high TyG index was only a borderline trend. But among people with severe narrowing or narrowing in multiple vessels, a high TyG index was linked to about double the odds of poor recovery. Statistical testing suggested the TyG index explained only a small and non-significant share of the link between artery narrowing and poor outcome. This research suggests that looking at insulin resistance together with the extent of artery narrowing may help identify stroke patients at higher risk of poor recovery. However, the study was retrospective and observational, so it cannot show that insulin resistance causes worse outcomes, and the results need confirmation in other studies.
Liao B, Gu Y, Ma N, Jin A, Yao S. (2026). Associations of the triglyceride-glucose index and intracranial arterial stenosis with poor functional outcome after ischemic stroke: a retrospective observational study of 712 patients.. Frontiers in endocrinology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2026.1949849