Serum Uric Acid Is Independently Associated with Coronary Calcification in an Asymptomatic Population

Abstract

Detecting early-stage atherosclerosis is an important step towards cardiovascular disease prevention. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is a sensitive and non-invasive tool for detecting coronary atherosclerosis. Higher serum uric acid (SUA) levels are known to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, there is inconsistency regarding the independence of the association. The aim of our study was to assess the association of CAC and SUA in an asymptomatic population. CAC scans of 281 participants were analyzed in a voluntary screening program. A health questionnaire, physical examination, and laboratory tests were also performed. Participants with a history of cardiovascular disease were excluded from the analysis. 36.3% ( n = 102) of the participants had no detectable CAC and 13.9% ( n = 39) had a CAC score of > 300. SUA showed positive correlation with CAC score (0.175, p < 0.01). SUA was independently associated with Ca score > 300 (OR 5.17, p = 0.01) after the effects of conventional risk factors were eliminated.

The association between hyperuricemia and coronary artery calcification development: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The average age of participants ranged from 36.5 to 84.5 . There are one case control, three cohorts, and seven cross‐sectional studies in total. Of these studies, nine included both genders, one included only men, and one included only women .…”

“…Three cohort studies reported the association between hyperuricemia and CAC progression. All of the selected studies were assessed as high quality according to the NOS scale (10 studies have NOS scores as 9 and 1 study as 8). See Table .…”

“…One case report and three letters were excluded. After reading the remaining 62 articles in full text, 11 studies 14,15,[17][18][19][25][26][27][28][29][30] were included totally (Figure 1). There were 11 108 participants included in the meta-analysis.…”

“…The characteristics of the included studies and their participants are summarized in Table 1. Of the 11 included studies (all observational), four were conducted in the United States, 17,18,25,27 one in Europe, 15 three in Asia, 14,28,30 and three in Latin America. 19,26,29 All studies were published in recent 12 years (2007-2019) in English except one (Chinese).…”

“…11 However, a few Mendelian randomization studies 8,12,13 have demonstrated inconsistent results examining the causal relationship of increased serum urate concentration and CHD. Similarly, the role of SUA as a risk factor for CAC remains controversial as some studies have reported a significant association between SUA and CAC, [14][15][16][17][18] while others suggest no significant association. 19,20 Given these inconsistencies, the primary objective of this systematic review is to assess the association between SUA and CAC in adult patients.…”