Association between Serum Uric Acid to HDL-Cholesterol Ratio and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Lean Chinese Adults

Background/Aim. The risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in lean population have not been fully clarified. This study aimed to explore the association between uric acid to HDL-cholesterol ratio (UHR) and NAFLD in lean Chinese adults. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed among 6285 lean Chinese adults (body mass index  ). UHR quintiles were positively associated with NAFLD prevalence, which was 1.91% in the first UHR quintile and increased to 3.58%, 7.81%, 14.17%, and 24.54% in the second, third, fourth, and fifth quintile groups, respectively ( for trend). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that UHR was independently associated with an increased risk of NAFLD (odds ratio: 1.105; 95% CI: 1.076–1.134; ). Sensitivity analysis showed that UHR remained significantly associated with NAFLD in lean participants with normal range of serum uric acid and HDL-cholesterol levels. Conclusions. UHR was significantly associated with NAFLD and may serve as a novel and reliable marker for NAFLD in lean adults.