Key result
Highest baseline hematocrit quartile linked to ~20% greater hyperuricemia risk versus the lowest.
Why the study?
The relationship between higher hematocrit levels and the incidence of hyperuricemia was not well established.
Does higher hematocrit predict the incidence of hyperuricemia?
Cohort (n=27,540)
No
Does higher hematocrit predict the incidence of hyperuricemia?
Hazard Ratio: 1.2 (95% CI 1.03–1.41)
Absolute Event Rate: 71.7% vs 22.8%
p-value: p=0.02
Higher hematocrit levels, even within the normal range, independently predict the incidence of hyperuricemia.
May aid hyperuricemia risk stratification; leaves open causality and need for trials.
This prospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between higher hematocrit (Hct) level and hyperuricemia (HU) incidence. A total of 27,540 subjects were included. Baseline Hct was classified into four categories based on the quartile distribution of the study population. A cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the risk of HU incidence across the Hct quartiles after adjusting a number of potential confounding factors. Out of the 62,897 person-years of follow-up, 2745 new cases of HU were developed. In models adjusted for known risk factors of HU, higher Hct was used to predict HU incidence independently in a graded manner (p = 0.02): compared with subjects in the lowest quartile, subjects in the highest quartile of Hct (hazard ratio = 1.20; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.41) were n20% more likely to develop HU. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the hazard ratios increased with the extension of the minimum follow-up interval. When the minimum follow-up interval was restricted to 4 years, subjects in the highest quartile of Hct were 70% more likely to develop HU, compared with the lowest quartile. Higher Hct, a routinely measured inexpensive biomarker was independently associated with the incidence of HU even within the normal range.
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Zeng et al. (2015) conducted a cohort in Hyperuricemia (n=27,540). Higher blood hematocrit (highest quartile >43.7%) vs. Lowest quartile of hematocrit (<37.4%) was evaluated on Incidence of hyperuricemia (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.41, p=0.02). Higher baseline blood hematocrit independently predicted the incidence of hyperuricemia, with subjects in the highest quartile having a 20% greater risk compared to those in the lowest quartile (HR 1.20).
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