Relationships of adult body height and BMI status to hyperuricemia in general Japanese male population: The Nagasaki Islands Study

Abstract

Several studies have reported that adult height is positively associated with risk of cancer on the hypothesis that height is a marker of childhood physical condition, and others that the risk of cancer was higher for participants with higher serum uric acid levels. We conducted a cross sectional study of 1,350 men aged 30-89 years undergoing general health check-ups. Since body mass index (BMI) is regarded as a surrogate marker of current physical condition for hyperuricemia risk, we performed a stratified analysis of this risk based on BMI. Of the total study population, 368 men were diagnosed with hyperurice mia (serum uric acid>7.0mg/dl), and a positive association between height and prevalence of hyperuricemia was detected, which was independent of classical cardiovascular risk factors. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for hyperuricemia of an increment of 1 SD for height (6.7cm) was 1.17 (CI: 1.01-1.35). Analysis of this association according to BMI status (non-overweight or overweight) disclosed a positive association only for non-overweight men. The adjusted ORs and CIs for hyperuricemia of an increment of 1 SD for height were 1.26 (1.05-1.52) for non-overweight and 1.01 (0.79-1.29) for overweight subjects. Height was found to be positively associated with the risk of hyperuricemia for Japanese men, especially non-overweight men (BMI<25kg/ 2 ) which suggests that childhood social and physical conditions may contribute to the development of hyoeruricemia in adulthood. ACTA MEDICA NAGASAKIENSIA 58: 57−62, 2013