Association of the Platelets to High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio and Risk of Heart Disease Events in Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese Population: A Retrospective Cohort Study Utilizing the CHARLS Database.

Background: The association between the platelet to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (PHR) and the risk of a heart disease event remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether the PHR can identify individuals at high risk for heart disease events, with a particular focus on middle-aged and elderly Chinese individuals. Methods: The retrospective cohort study encompassed 7188 middle-aged and elderly participants (>45 years) sourced from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database. This research utilized longitudinal data from 5 follow-up visits spanning 2011 to 2020, which encompassed the collection of demographic profiles and pertinent blood biomarkers. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted based on PHR quartiles, with differences assessed using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model evaluated PHR's hazard ratio (HR) as a predictor of outcome events, with trend tests applied. Restrictive cubic splines (RCS) were employed to explore associations. Subgroup analyses were performed to validate the robustness of the findings. Results: Baseline comparisons across quartiles of the PHR revealed a progressive increase in PHR values (133.16 vs 202.09 vs 267.04 vs 388.24), which corresponded to ascending incidence rates of heart disease (18.20% vs 18.64% vs 18.86% vs 21.59%) ( Conclusions: Our study reveals a positive correlation between PHR levels and the incidence of heart disease events in middle-aged and elderly men in China. However, no such correlation was observed in female patients.