March 21, 2008Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology180 citationsOpen Access
View Full PaperUric Acid Levels Are Associated With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Independent of Systemic Inflammation in Men From the General Population
Key Result
High serum uric acid levels were independently associated with increased cardiovascular disease mortality (HR 1.44; 95% CI 1.04-2.0) and all-cause mortality in middle-aged men.
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=3,604)
Structured PICO
Are high serum uric acid levels associated with increased cardiovascular disease mortality, all-cause mortality, and incident myocardial infarction in middle-aged men from the general population?
P
Population
3,604 men aged 45 to 74 years from the general population, prospectively followed up to December 2002 to assess the association of uric acid with mortality.
E
Exposure
High serum uric acid (UA) levels (highest quartile)
C
Comparator
Low serum uric acid (UA) levels (lowest quartile)
O
Outcome
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, all-cause mortality, and incident (fatal and nonfatal) myocardial infarction (MI)hard clinical
High serum uric acid levels are independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, but not incident MI, in middle-aged men from the general population.
Main Result
Hazard Ratio: 1.44 (95% CI 1.04–2)
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether increasing serum uric acid (UA) levels are related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, all-cause mortality, and incident (fatal and nonfatal) myocardial infarction (MI) in men from the general population taking into account C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study was based on 3604 men (45 to 74 years of age) who participated in 1 of the 3 MONICA Augsburg surveys between 1984 and 1995. All participants were prospectively followed within the framework of the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA). Up to December 31, 2002, there occurred 809 total deaths, 359 CVD deaths, and 297 incident MIs. In a Cox model, comparing extreme quartiles of the UA distribution, the hazard ratio for CVD mortality was 1.44 (95% confidence interval CI 1.04 to 2.0), and for all-cause mortality it was 1.40 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.74) after adjustment for conventional cardiovascular risk factors, CRP, and diuretic intake. However, UA was not associated with incident MI after multivariable adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: High UA levels were independently associated with CVD mortality as well as all-cause mortality but not with incident MI in middle-aged men from the general population.