Significance of high-normal serum uric acid level as a risk factor for arterial stiffness in healthy Korean men

Abstract

A high serum uric acid (SUA) level is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the relationship between arterial stiffness and uric acid in healthy subjects with a normal SUA level. We assessed whether a high-normal uric acid level increased arterial stiffness by measuring brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) in healthy subjects. Among 779 subjects who visited the health promotion center, 393 men and 234 women with normal SUA levels (male: 3.5-8.0 mg/dl, female: 2.5-5.4 mg/dl) were divided into quartiles: in men, Q1 (n = 90, 3.5-4.3 mg/dl), Q2 (n = 94, 4.4-5.1 mg/dl), Q3 (n = 106, 5.2-5.9 mg/dl) and Q4 (n = 103, 6.0-8.0 mg/dl); in women, Q1 (n = 57, 2.5-3.6 mg/dl), Q2 (n = 49, 3.7-4.1 mg/dl), Q3 (n = 61, 4.2-4.6 mg/dl) and Q4 (n = 67, 4.7-5.4 mg/dl). The mean values of ba-PWV increased gradually by SUA quartile. The men's SUA had an independent, positive association with ba-PWV after correcting for age, glucose, body mass index, blood pressure, resting heart rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and triglyceride (R (2) = 0.39, adjusted R (2) = 0.37, p < 0.001). The odds ratios (95% CI) for high ba-PWVs (> 75th percentile, 1473 cm/s) in men were 1.89 (0.69-5.20, Q2), 2.36 (1.10-5.08, Q3), and 2.91 (1.39-6.11, Q4), after adjusting for confounding factors (p < 0.001). In women, SUA showed no independent association with ba-PWV (p = 0.186). After adjusting for confounding factors, the mean ba-PWV values of Q3 (1418 cm/s) and Q4 (1421 cm/s) in men were higher than those of Q1 (1355 cm/s) (p < 0.05). Above the SUA level of 5.2 mg/dl, arterial stiffness was increased in healthy Korean men.