Relationship between hyperuricemia and other cardiovascular disease risk factors among adult males in Taiwan

Hyperuricemia is associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors such a s obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Ho wever, this relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) concentrations and c ardiovascular disease (CVD) is a controversial one, especially among males. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between SUA conce ntrations and other CVD risk factors among adult males in Taiwan. After mul ti-stage sampling procedures, we randomly selected 1743 Taiwanese males wit h a mean age of 35 years (from 22 to 54) in this study. Anthropometric, blo od pressure and biochemical variables, including serum uric acid, glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, were measured. Among the study population, the mean SUA concentration was 6.5 +/- 1.5 mg/dl. There were 290 (16.6%) subjects with SUA concentrations greater than or equal to 8.0 mg/dl (defined as hyperuricemia). Compared to normouricemic subjects, h yperuricemic subjects had significantly greater age-adjusted body weight (7 5.3 vs. 69.2 kg, p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI, 25.5 vs. 23.6 kg/m(2), p < 0.001), higher blood pressure (BP, 120.2 vs. 115.2 mmHg for systolic BP and 78.5 vs. 75.3 mmHg for diastolic BP, both p < 0.001) and blood lipid co ncentrations (193.8 vs. 182.1 mg/dl for total cholesterol and 123.7 vs. 94. 4 mg/dl for triglycerides, both p < 0.001). SUA concentration was positivel y correlated with body weight, BMI, BP and serum lipid concentrations (all p < 0.001). In multivariate regression analyses, after adjusting for potent ial confounders, SUA concentration was significantly positively associated with diastolic BP, serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. An increase of 1 mg/dl of SUA was associated with a 2.1 mg/dl elevation in serum total cholesterol (p < 0.001) and a 5.4 mg/dl increase in triglyceri de (p < 0.001). From this study, we found that hyperuricemia in subjects is associated with being overweight, and having high blood pressure and hyper lipidemia. There is a significantly positive association between SUA concen tration and other CVD risk factors among adult males in Taiwan.