Does an elevated serum uric acid/albumin ratio predict the presence of carotid artery plaque in patients with coronary heart disease?
Elevated serum uric acid/albumin ratio is significantly associated with the presence of carotid artery plaque in patients with coronary heart disease, particularly in those aged ≥60 years or with hypertension or dyslipidemia.
The present study explored the association between serum uric acid/albumin ratio (UAR) and carotid artery plaque (CAP) in cases (n = 12 481) with coronary heart disease (CHD). Participants were stratified by UAR quartiles. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between the UAR and CAP. The relationship between the UAR and carotid plaques according to sex, age, blood pressure, and blood lipid groups was also assessed. Results showed that UAR was significantly associated with CAP (odds ratio OR: 1.03; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.02-1.05). The correlation between UAR and the presence of carotid plaque was strong in both females (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.06) and males (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00-1.06). Patients aged ≥60 (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.34-1.90) had a higher risk for carotid plaque at the Q4 UAR level than those <60. Hypertensive patients showed higher carotid plaque risk at Q4 UAR (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.20-1.78) than normotensives. The correlation between UAR and the presence of carotid plaque was greater in dyslipidemic patients (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02-1.10) than in normolipidemic patients (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.05). These results confirm a significant association between UAR and CAP, most pronounced in patients aged ≥60 or with hypertension/dyslipidemia.
Zhang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.