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Uric acid likely marker of metabolic syndrome
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Serum uric acid level is associated with all components of metabolic syndrome, with the level increasing with the number of metabolic factors, according to recent study findings.
In a case-control study, Satyendra Khichar, MD, senior registrar in the department of medicine at Sardar Patel Medical College in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, and colleagues analyzed data from 100 adults with metabolic syndrome and 100 healthy age- and sex-matched controls in 2013 (mean age, 53 years). Components of metabolic syndrome were defined as high blood pressure, truncal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL and hyperglycemia. Researchers stratified patients by number of components of metabolic syndrome (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5). Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid concentration of at least 7 mg/dL in men or at least 6 mg/dL in women; uric acid concentrations were categorized into quartiles for men and women.
Researchers found that mean serum uric acid level increased from 3.08 mg/dL to 8.01 mg/dL with increasing number of components of metabolic syndrome from 0 to 5 (P < .0001 for trend). Across quartiles of serum uric acid level, mean waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, BMI, fasting blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), systolic and diastolic BP, and triglycerides showed a rising trend; mean HDL showed a decreasing trend. In multivariate regression analysis, researchers found that 66.84% of the variance in uric acid could be explained by components of metabolic syndrome (P < .0001) and that uric acid makes a contribution to metabolic syndrome (P = .0015).
“The results of the current study clearly prove that uric acid can be considered as a marker and potential modifier of metabolic syndrome,” the researchers wrote. “It is very easy to estimate with the availability of a very cheap and reliable method. Therefore, its utility as a screening biochemical marker will be highly useful in the early diagnosis and management of metabolic syndrome.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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