Uric acid level as a risk marker for metabolic syndrome: A Chinese cohort study

Abstract Objective Despite some epidemiologic research demonstrating a positive relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), prospective data on SUA as a predictor of MetS incidence are limited. Methods The authors examined SUA as a risk marker for incident MetS in a prospective study of 3857 subjects who were free of MetS at baseline recruitment. Hyperuricemia was defined as SUA ≥7.7 mg/dL for men and ≥6.6 mg/dL for women. The MetS was defined according to a unified criteria set by several major organizations. Results During a mean follow-up of 5.41 years, 476 participants developed MetS. A significantly stepwise increase in the incidence of MetS across tertiles of SUA was observed in the whole group ( p for trend p for trend Conclusion SUA concentration is more closely associated with MetS in females than in males. Future investigations are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in the sex-related association between SUA concentration and MetS risk.