THE SERUM URIC ACID AND RELATED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN SOUTH TAIWAN

Hyperuricemia has been shown to be related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Uric acid is a metabolic product synthesized from nucleic acids, amino acids and the Krebs cycle, reflecting a multiple metabolic associations in humans. The relation between uric acid and various cardiovascular metabolic parameters in Asians has rarely been reported on. In this study, we report the relationship between uric acid and various cardiovascular risk factors in 1,027 healthy Taiwan- ese adults living in Alien, an agricultural town in subtropical South Taiwan. Serum uric acid levels increased in proportion to age in women, but not in men. There were age and gender-specific cor- relations between uric acid and various cardiovascular metabolic parameters. Triglycerides and crea- tinine levels were two independent factors predicting serum uric acid levels in men, while only crea- tinine predicted uric acid levels in women of all age groups. Processes that influence the metabolism of uric acid and its association with other metabolic parameters differs by gender and age.