Uric Acid as a Potential Cue to Screen for Iron Overload

Background: It is suggested that targeted screening for hemochromatosis and iron overload may be worthwhile. The aim of this study was to examine uric acid as a potential indicator of the presence of iron overload. Methods: We analyzed adults aged 20 and older in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2002. We computed logistic regressions controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, liver or kidney condition, and alcohol use to see the relationship between combinations of uric acid and ferritin with the outcomes of elevated liver enzymes and proteinuria. Results: In unadjusted analyses, 20.7% of individuals with high uric acid had high ferritin levels versus 8.8% of individuals with low uric acid levels ( P Conclusions: Elevated levels of uric acid is associated with elevated ferritin levels and may serve as a risk stratification variable for presence of iron overload and hemochromatosis.