Elevated uric acid levels heighten risk of cardiovascular disease

Increased uric acid levels appear to contribute to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, among individuals with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia, and this association is independent from hyperuricaemia-related comorbidities, according to a study.

The study included 29,974 adults (mean age 47.2±13.9 years). Researchers stratified baseline serum uric acid beyond normal uric acid levels quarterly based on the distribution of healthy populations without CVD onset.

Over a mean follow-up duration of 5.78 years, a total of 1,062 CVD first-attack cases were documented. Multivariate-adjusted Cox regression models showed no significant association between asymptomatic hyperuricaemia and incident CVD.

However, the estimates showed the fourth quartile of uric acid was associated with a significantly increased adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for CVD (CHD or stroke) as compared with normal uricaemia in the total cohort population (CHD: HR, 1.70, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.34–2.16; stroke: HR, 1.55, 95 percent CI, 1.13–2.13), men (CHD: HR, 1.94, 95 percent CI, 1.47–2.56), women (CHD: HR, 1.71, 95 percent CI, 1.03–2.35; stroke: HR, 2.02, 95 percent CI, 1.14–3.58), and individuals aged >50 years.

On the other hand, the age-standardized incidence risk of CVD in the fourth quartile of was two to three times higher than the normouricaemia population.

In an analysis excluding 14,464 individuals with diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension, the increased risk of CVD associated with elevated uric acid was consistently observed in the asymptomatic hyperuricaemia population in the absence of comorbidities (CHD: HR, 2.40, 95 percent CI, 1.39–4.14; stroke: HR, 1.85, 95 percent CI, 1.12–3.59).

The findings suggest that both renal and cardiovascular system could be benefit from controlling the uric acid level under 7.2 mg/dl.