Abstract
The correlates of serum uric and the association of uric acid with carotid intimal-medial thickness (an early measure of atherosclerosis) were investigated in participants of the baseline examination of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. The study sample included 6522 women 74% white) and 4966 men (79% white) who were aged 45 to 65 years at baseline (1986-1989). Those with prevalent coronary heart disease or previous stroke and those taking uricosuric medication were excluded. The mean (SD) uric acid concentration was 5.9 (1.5) mg/dL. It was highest among black men 45-54 years old (6.9 [1.5] mg/dL), and lowest in white women aged 45-54 years old (5.0 [1.2] mg/dL). The uric acid level was positively correlated in both sexes with a variety of health-related factors, most notably body mass index, creatinine, triglycerides, diuretic use, alcohol intake, hypertension, diabetes, and insulin levels. In a linear regression model adjusting for age and ARIC center, the level of uric acid was directly and significantly associated with B-mode ultrasound carotid intimal-medial thickness in women and white men (but not black men). However, when known risk factors for atherosclerotic disease and relevant behavioral and biological correlates of uric acid were controlled for in multivariate analysis, the association of uric with this early measure of atherosclerosis became negligible in white women and much weaker and not statistically significant in black women and white men. Thus, uric acid itself may not be a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Future analysis of cardiovascular events in the ARIC Study will further elucidate the role of uric acid in atherosclerotic disease.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 331-340 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Annals of epidemiology |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1996 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by contracts NOl-HC-55015, NOl-HC-55016, NOl-HC-55018, NOl-HC-55019, NOl-HC-55020, NOl-HC-55021, NOl-HC-55022 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland. The authors thank the following staff: Phyllis Johnson, Marilyn Knowles, Catherine Paton (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill); Wilhelmenia Cheeks, Revitha Cook, Shirley Cothern, Amy Haire (University of North Carolina, Forsyrh County); Barbara L. Davis, Agnes L. Hayes, Jane G. Johnson, Penny L. Lowery (University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson); Charlene Bogden, Dot Buckingham, Carolyne Campbell, Maxime Dammen (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis); Serena Bell, Joyce B. Chahot, Carol Christmas, Mary Ann Cocodrilli (The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore); Valerie Stinson, Pam Pfile, Hoang Pham, Teri Trevino (University of Texas Medical School, Houston); Wanda R. Alexander, Doris J. Harper, Charles E. Rhodes, Selma M. Soyal (The Methodist Hospital, Atherosclerosis Clinical Laboratory, Houston); Kelll Collins, Delilah Cook, Melanie Eller, Bob Ellison (Bowman-Gray School of Medicine, Ultrasound Reading Center, Winston-Salem); John H. Crouch, MS., Thomas G. Goodwin, Dick Hayes, M.C.I., Leonard B. Hearne, Ph.D. (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Coordinating Cenrer).
Keywords
- Atherosclerosis
- body mass index
- carotid wall thickness
- cohort study
- confounding
- uric acid
