Background and aims: Recently, studies have shown a positive association between serum uric acid (UA) and metabolic syndrome (MS). To evaluate the predictive capacity and the association of serum UA with pre-MS and MS, by sex, in adults.
Methods and results: Cross-sectional study with 932 adults, of both sexes, from Viçosa, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were obtained through a questionnaire and anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical evaluation. We used multinomial logistic regression and the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The prevalence of pre-MS was 17.8% and of MS was 26.5%. The fitted models showed positive association of serum UA with pre-MS (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.09-2.40) and MS (OR = 2.61, 95% CI = 1.99-3.42) among men. For women, similar results were found for MS (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.81-3.73). The optimal cutoff points obtained by AUC for pre-MS and MS were 4.7 and 4.9 mg/dL among men and 3.1 and 3.4 mg/dL among women, respectively.
Conclusion: The results point to a positive association of UA with pre-MS and MS, with no significant differences between sexes. Therefore, UA can be used as an additional marker in the screening of these conditions.
Keywords: Epidemiology; Metabolic syndrome; Population studies; Predictive capacity; Uric acid.
Copyright © 2021 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.