Serum Uric Acid Levels in Women

Women in the age strata 38, 46, 50, 54 and 60, 1462 women in all, were submitted to a population study in Göteborg, Sweden. Determination of serum uric acid levels was included in the study. The mean values of serum uric acid increased from 3.6 mg/100 ml in women aged 38 to 4.4 mg/100 ml in women aged 60. The rise in serum uric acid with age seemed to be unrelated to the menopause, as no differences were found between premenopausal and postmenopausal women of the same age. None of the 1462 women studied was found to suffer from clinical gout. When comparing women with high serum uric acid values and women in the general population of corresponding ages, no significant differences were found for joint complaints, serum creatinine, history of cystitis and/or pyelonephritis, history of renal calculi, alcohol consumption or socio‐economic status. Women on saluretic diuretics had significantly raised serum uric acid values compared to the general population of women. The urine concentrating capacity was decreased in hyperuricaemic women, both in those who took and in those who did not take saluretic diuretics. Women with high serum uric acid values had significantly higher values for body weight, subscapular skinfold and Hb. Serum uric acid was raised in women with arterial hypertension, women with a history suggesting angina pectoris and women with ECG changes suggesting ischaemic heart disease. However, these differences were probably caused by an overrepresentation of women on saluretic diuretics in these groups.