Impact of Serum Uric Acid Concentration on the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Cohort Study Conducted in Northern China

Background: The results of previous studies of the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been inconsistent due to confounding factors caused by other known cardiovascular risk factors. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between SUA and incident CVD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese people, who were stratified according to body mass index (BMI). Methods: This study recruited 5,721 participants of 40-75 years of age, who were free of CVD at baseline and who underwent follow-up from 2008 to 2017. Participants were categorized in SUA quintiles. Cox proportional hazard and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used to compare CVD incidence among the SUA groups. The correlations between SUA and CVD incidence in groups with differing BMI and waist circumference (WC) were also analyzed. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: During a mean follow-up period of 7.6 years, CVD incidence increased with SUA (log-rank test p<0. 001). Compared with the first quintile, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval (CI)) for the development of CVD were 1.08 (0.78-1.65), 1.17 (0.88-1.77), 1.47 (1.12-2.21), and 1.68 (1.28-2.44) for the second to fifth quintiles, respectively. This relationship was clearer in participants with normal BMI and WC. The adjusted hazard ratio for each 100 mu mol/L increase in SUA was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.02-1.39) for CVD events. Conclusions: High SUA is an independent risk factor for CVD in middle-aged and elderly northern Chinese people. This effect is maintained even after stratification according to measures of leanness/obesity.