Serum uric acid levels and prognosis of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Uric acid (UA) is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is unclear whether UA plays a predictive role in NAFLD prognosis. This study aimed to explore the relationship between UA levels and mortality in NAFLD patients without severe renal disease. Data were obtained from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Time-dependent Cox regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for mortality. Overall, 2493 individuals with NAFLD and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 were included in this study. The median follow-up period was 26.58 years. Patients were divided into high and low-UA groups according to UA levels. Time-independent Cox regression showed that UA level was not an independent risk factor for mortality in NAFLD patients without decreased eGFR (P > 0.05). After matching for age and sex using the propensity score matching method, UA remained not independently associated with death in NAFLD patients (P > 0.05). Similar results were found for cardiovascular-related and cancer-related deaths. Although UA is closely related to NAFLD, UA levels are not independently associated with the long-term survival of patients with NAFLD without decreased eGFR.