Background: The association between uric acid (UA) and cardiovascular (CV) disease may be in part attributed to CV risk factor clustering. However, a few studies have reported independent associations between hyperuricemia, metabolic syndrome (MS) and carotid atherosclerosis. A recent study in Japanese individuals has suggested a link between serum UA levels and increased arterial stiffness, independent of MS. We assessed whether there is independent association of serum UA with MS and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in Korean subjects. Methods: A total of 673 adults (age, 47.7±10.0 yr; sex, men 392) were included. None of the subjects had atherosclerotic CV disease, diabetes, other systemic disease, elevated serum creatinine levels (Cr >1.3 mg/dL), CV or uricosuric drug medication. All subjects underwent heart-femoral (hf) and brachial-ankle (ba) PWV measurements. MS was defined according to the new IDF criteria and abdominal obesity for Koreans recommended by the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity in 2005. Sex-specific analysis was performed, because the mean UA level was significantly lower in women (4.2±0.9 mg/dL) than in men (6.0±1.4mg/dL, p<0.001). Results: Women with MS showed higher UA when compared to those without MS (4.5±1.0 vs 4.2±0.9 mg/dL; p=0.025). This difference lost its statistical significance after controlling for age, total cholesterol, Cr and BMI (p=NS). The UA level was not significantly different between men with and without MS (6.2±1.4 vs 6.0±1.4 mg/dL; p=NS). The prevalence of MS was not significantly different among groups according to sex-specific UA quartiles (women: 13.2, 6.1, 16.9, 20.5%; men: 21.0, 19.5, 25.0, 27.5%; both, p=NS). The prevalence of the sex-specific highest quartile of hfPWV according to sex-specific UA quartiles was: 17.1, 36.7, 26.8, 23.3% in women; 28.0, 18.4, 29.2, 23.4% in men (both, p=NS). AS for the sex-specific highest quartile of baPWV, the prevalence was: 18.4, 30.6, 26.5, 26.0% in women; 26.0, 18.4, 30.2, 24.8% in men (both, p=NS). Conclusion: This suggests that serum UA is not independently associated with MS and arterial stiffness in Korean subjects. Further studies are needed in a large population-based sample.
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