Higher uric acid is associated with higher rate of metabolic syndrome in Chinese elderly

Abstract Background Although uric acid (UA) is not in the definition of metabolic syndrome (MetS), several studies had shown the positive correlation between UA and MetS. Due to the progress in the public health, the aging of the general population becomes a major issue. However, the aforementioned relationship between UA and MetS is not fully explored in elderly group. To fill up this deficient piece of knowledge, we enrolled Chinese elderly to shed light on the relationships between UA levels and MetS. Methods We randomly selected subjects aged 65 and older undergoing routine health checkups in Taiwan. After excluding subjects with taking medications known to affect components of MetS or UA, a total of 27,553 Chinese were eligible for analysis. All the participants were further divided into four groups according to the UA level. Results All the MetS components were significantly lower in the UA1 group. In simple correlation, all the MetS components were also correlated with UA. However, age and blood pressure became non-significant in multiple regressions. Compared to UA1, all the other 3 groups had higher odds ratio for MetS. Conclusion Higher UA level have higher rate of having MetS in Chinese elderly. UA could be regard as an ancillary tool for the awareness of MetS.