A cross-sectional study on the association between serum uric acid and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in health checkup population

Objective To evaluate the relationship between hyperuricemia and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) by observing the prevalence of NAFLD among healthy individuals with different levels of serum uric acid.Methods The data of 5 230 persons from medical centers for health examination were analyzed,such as height,weight,blood pressure,blood lipids,blood sugar, hepatitis-related markers, and abdominal color Doppler ultrasound examination were conducted in the fasting state.The diagnosis of NAFLD was made according to the diagnostic criteria adopted by China Institute of Liver Disease and Alcoholic Liver Disease Group.Results The incidences of overweight or obesity, hypertension,hyperlipidemia, and metabolic syndrome were raised with serum uric acid greater than 333 μmol/L in male and＞233 μmol/L in female subjects(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01). Excluding the metabolic syndrome in male subjects, the incidence of NAFLD was increased with serum uric acid,＞333 μmol/L in males or ＞233 μmol/L in females(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01). In further studies with subjects without any metabolic syndrome, the detection rate of NAFLD was higher in males than in females at the same serum uric acid level(P＜0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that sex, body mass index, blood glucose, and triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, uric acid grading were risk factors of NAFLD(OR 1.344, 2.500, 1.292, 1.279, 1.244, 1.256 respectively).Conclusion A high serum uric acid level is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD. Key words: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease;  Hyperuricemia;  Metabolic syndrome;  Cross-sectional study