Megha Reddy1 , Varun Vinayak P. Rao2 , Ashwin Kulkarni3 , Anil Kumar T.4 Sushmitha Medappa5
BACKGROUND The prevalence of Hyperuricemia is increasing even in developing countries. Hyperuricemia may be asymptomatic in many cases. It has been known to be associated with metabolic syndrome. In this study we have tried to see the association between serum uric acid levels and the components of metabolic syndrome in a tertiary care centre in South India. METHODS It was a case-control, observational study carried out in the Medicine OPD of Ramaiah Medical College and Hospital. 40 subjects who were found to be having metabolic syndrome as per NCEP-ATP III criteria and 40 age and gender matched controls were enrolled in the study. They were subjected to detailed history taking, clinical examination, investigations like fasting and 2-hour blood glucose levels, fasting lipid profile and serum uric acid levels. Mean serum uric acid levels were assessed in both cases and controls. The association between serum uric acid levels and the components of metabolic syndrome was also studied. RESULTS Mean serum uric acid levels in cases were 7.9 mg/dL in men and 6.8 mg/dL in women. Mean serum uric acid levels in controls were 4.8 mg/dL in men and 3.9 mg/dL in women. This difference was statistically significant (p= 0.001). Among the subjects having metabolic syndrome, 28 subjects (65%) had hyperuricemia. Among the controls 10 subjects (25%) had hyperuricemia. CONCLUSIONS The above study shows that serum uric acid levels are significantly elevated in patients with metabolic syndrome. The association of elevated levels of uric acid was seen with all the components of metabolic syndrome.
