The association between uric acid levels and cardiovascular metabolic disorders and non-alcohol fatty liver disease among obese children

Abstract

Objective To observe the prevalence of hyperuricemia(HUA) among obese children, and to explore the association between uric acid(UA) levels and cardiometabolic risk factors, acanthosis nigricans and non-alcohol fatty liver disease(NAFLD). Methods By using representative sampling method, 1 753 obese children aged 6-17 years old from 18 schools in 3 districts of Beijing(Xicheng, Haidian, Miyun) were selected to participate in the clinical examinations, including anthropometric measurements(height, weight) and blood pressure.Serum biochemical parameters were assessed, including fasting plasma glucose(FPG), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) and UA.Acanthosis nigricans and B-model ultrasonography of the liver were conducted. Results The prevalence of hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidemia, acanthosis nigricans, and NAFLD among these 1 753 obese children was 33.6%(589 cases), 66.5%(1 156 cases), 54.3%(943 cases), 23.3%(408 cases), and 17.0%(298 cases), respectively.The prevalence of HUA was 40.70%(714/1 753 cases), with 50.17%(581/1 158 cases) in boys and 22.34%(133/595 cases) in girls.There was a significant increase in body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, FPG, TG and LDL-C with the increase of UA, but there was a decrease in HLD-C with the increase of UA(all P<0.05). In boys, the adjusted odds ratios(OR) and 95%CI of the highest quartile of UA for hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidemia, acanthosis nigricans, and NAFLD were 1.16(0.77-1.74), 1.34(0.90-1.99), 1.29(0.89-1.87), 1.89(1.17-3.04), and 1.71(1.03-2.84), respectively; in girls, the adjusted OR and 95%CI of the highest quartile of UA for hypertension, impaired fas-ting glucose, dyslipidemia, acanthosis nigricans, and NAFLD was 0.70(0.40-1.24), 0.60(0.40-1.00), 1.69(1.04-2.70), 1.67(0.80-3.49), and 1.33(0.48-3.66), respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of HUA is relatively high in obese children and there is a strong association between UA and some car-diovascular metabolic disorders, acanthosis nigricans and NAFLD. Key words: Child; Uric acid; Obesity; Metabolic disorder; Acanthosis nigricans; Non-alcohol fatty liver disease