Prevalence and related factors of hyperuricaemia in Chinese children and adolescents: a pooled analysis of 11 population-based studies

Jiahuan Rao; Peiyu Ye; Jie Lu; Bi Chen; Nan Li; Huiying Zhang; Hui Bo; Xinchun Chen; Huiting Liu; Chunhong Zhang; Hua Wei; Qin Wu; Yinkun Yan; Changgui Li; Jie Mi; China Child and Adolescent Hyperuricemia Study (CCAHS) Consortium

doi:10.1080/07853890.2022.2083670

Prevalence and related factors of hyperuricaemia in Chinese children and adolescents: a pooled analysis of 11 population-based studies

Ann Med. 2022 Dec;54(1):1608-1615. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2083670.

Authors

Jiahuan Rao¹, Peiyu Ye¹, Jie Lu^{2

3}, Bi Chen⁴, Nan Li⁵, Huiying Zhang⁶, Hui Bo⁷, Xinchun Chen⁸, Huiting Liu⁹, Chunhong Zhang¹⁰, Hua Wei¹¹, Qin Wu¹¹, Yinkun Yan¹, Changgui Li^{2

3}, Jie Mi¹; China Child and Adolescent Hyperuricemia Study (CCAHS) Consortium

Affiliations

¹ Center for Non-communicable Disease Management, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, PR China.
² Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases and Gout, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Gout, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, PR China.
³ Institute of Metabolic Diseases, Qingdao University, Qingdao, PR China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Laboratory, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, PR China.
⁵ Tianjin Women's and Children's Health Center, Tianjin, PR China.
⁶ Department of Children's and Adolescent Health, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Jinghai District Hospital, Jinghai Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, PR China.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Tangshan People's Hospital, Tangshan, PR China.
⁹ Department of pediatric, The First Hospital of Jinzhong, Shanxi, PR China.
¹⁰ Cancer Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan, PR China.
¹¹ Division of Rheumatology, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu, PR China.

Abstract

Background and aims: Hyperuricaemia can lead to gout and is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of hyperuricaemia and its related factors in Chinese children and adolescents.

Methods: We pooled data from 11 population-based studies comprising 54,580 participants aged 3-19 years. The sex- and age-standardized prevalence of hyperuricaemia was estimated overall and by sex, age, weight status, geographic region and survey year.

Results: Serum uric acid (SUA) increased gradually from 3 to 11 years with no significant sex difference, and then increased dramatically during 11-15 years. The estimated overall prevalence of hyperuricaemia was 23.3% (26.6% in boys and 19.8% in girls, p < .001). The prevalence increased with growing age (3.7, 9.8, 15.8, 35.5 and 31.7% among children aged 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-15 and 16-19 years, respectively, p for trend < .001) and with increasing weight status (18.2, 37.6, 50.6 and 64.5% among children with non-overweight, overweight, obesity and extreme obesity, respectively, p for trend < .001). The prevalence was higher in North than in South (24.2 vs. 19.7%, p < .001), and increased markedly from 16.7% during 2009-2015 to 24.8% during 2016-2019. In multivariable regression analyses, sex, age, obesity, region and survey year were independently associated with odds of hyperuricaemia.

Conclusions: The prevalence of hyperuricaemia in Chinese children and adolescents is unexpectedly high. The findings suggest an urgent need to implement effective interventions to reduce risk of hyperuricaemia in Chinese youths.KEY MESSAGESQuestion: What is the prevalence of hyperuricaemia in Chinese children and adolescents?Findings: In this large pooled cross-sectional study comprising >50,000 children and adolescents aged 3-19 years, we found that the prevalence of hyperuricaemia was high in overall population and subgroups of sex, age, obesity, region and survey year.Meaning: Our findings indicate that hyperuricaemia is an important health problem in Chinese children and adolescents, and effective intervention strategies are needed to reduce its burden.

Keywords: Children; adolescents; hyperuricaemia; prevalence; uric acid.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Hyperuricemia* / epidemiology
Male
Obesity / epidemiology
Prevalence
Uric Acid

Substances

Uric Acid

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Nos. 82073572, 81803254 and 81973110], the Beijing Nova Program [No. Z201100006820008], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 31900413] and Shandong Provincial Science Foundation for Outstanding Youth Scholars [No. ZR202102190514].