Triglyceride Glucose Index as an Indicator of Cardiovascular Risk in Syrian Refugees

Ameerah Hasan Ibrahim,1 Alaa Mahmoud Hammad,1 Walid Al-Qerem,1 Hakam Alaqabani,1,2 F Scott Hall,3 Fawaz Alasmari4 1Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 2Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK; 3Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA; 4Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Alaa Mahmoud Hammad, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, P.O. Box 130, Amman, 11733, Jordan, Tel +962-6-4291511, Fax +962-6-4291432, Email [email protected]: The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is a quick and inexpensive approach to measure insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the TyG index’s ability to predict cardiovascular risk and determine the TyG index cutoff values in Syrian refugees.Methods: A retrospective research study was conducted with 756 Syrian refugees. Data on demographics and clinical laboratory assessments were obtained from refugee’s files. The formula Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting plasma glucose (mg (dL)/2] was used to calculate the TyG index. The Framingham risk score was used to calculate ten-year cardiovascular risk. The TyG index cutoff point was determined using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).Results: Included participants had a mean age of 56.76 ± 10.78 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 27.42 ± 4.03 kg/m2. 28.57% of the subjects were smokers, and the majority were female (56.75%). A significant moderate correlation was observed between TyG index and Framingham score (r = 0.428, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis for TyG index and Framingham score showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.741 (95% CI = 0.691– 0.791; p < 0.001). The cutoff value of the TyG index to recognize intermediate/high risk Framingham risk score was 9.33, with a sensitivity of 64.3%, and specificity of 75.0%.Conclusion: Our findings determine that, given a TyG index cutoff value of 9.33, the TyG index has a predictive ability to assess ten-year cardiovascular risk by comparison to the Framingham risk score in a high-risk group of Syrian refugees and can be used as an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk.Keywords: TyG index, Framingham risk score, ROC, Syrian refugees, cardiovascular ris

The awareness of renal stones amongst Syrian refugees in northern Jordan

Kidney Stone Disease (KSD) is a globally prevalent condition that can be effectively addressed through proper education. This study investigated the awareness of kidney stones among refugees residing in northern Jordan. A questionnaire was administered to 487 refugees of diverse ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Notably, 97.3% of the respondents had not attended university, and 30.8% held unskilled jobs. Upon familiarizing themselves with the signs and symptoms of kidney stones, 16.22% of men and 12.32% of women reported experiencing such symptoms. This revealed a significant association, suggesting that men might be more susceptible to developing kidney stones than women due to a lack of medical follow-up and examination for men in the camp. However, 38.77% of individuals were uncertain whether they had kidney stones. Furthermore, 38.96% of refugees were unsure about which healthcare professional to consult when experiencing kidney stone symptoms. This report highlights a serious issue with refugees’ knowledge of the symptoms, causes, and treatments for kidney stones. The results indicate that Syrian refugees face challenges in acquiring adequate disease awareness, potentially related to issues of migration and war, including low levels of education, limited income, living in camps, and difficulties accessing treatments when needed. Implementing additional policies is necessary to address these challenges among Syrian refugees; however, further studies are needed to validate these findings