Positive association between hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome: A large health check-up population in Taiwan

Background

In Taiwan, high prevalence of hyperuricemia or metabolic syndrome have been reported. It is interested to examine whether any association exists between metabolic syndrome and hyperuricemia.

Methods

An annual health screening check-up, paid by the National Health Insurance, Taiwan, is promoted by local governmental public health sector to allow adults aged 40+ for primary disease prevention. We obtained the data of 2006 health screening check-up in Taoyuan, Taiwan, to look at the association between these two diseases. The ATP III criteria was used to define those with metabolic syndrome except one condition of circumference of waist was substituted by BMI≥27. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid > 458.0 µM (7.7 mg/dl) for males and > 392.6 µM (6.6 mg/dl) for females.

Results

16277 records (87.4%) were available for this study. The overall prevalence for metabolic syndrome was 14.0% for males and 12.5% for females. The hyperuricemia rate was 16.0% for males and 11.2% for females. How the prevalence rate of these two diseases behaves with age was very similar. For males, the rates of these two diseases slightly increased with age. For females, the rates of these two diseases started at a low rate and slight rose before age 50 and increased much sharply after then. After age was adjusted, higher risks were seen in those with hyperuricemia to have metabolic syndrome with an odds ratio of 1.97 for males and 3.20 for females.

Conclusions

Positive association between metabolic syndrome and hyperuricemia was seen in adults in Taiwan.