Diabetes associated with a low serum uric acid level in a general Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: Serum uric acid (UA) is reported as an important marker of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes; diabetic subjects have low UA levels. The relationship between UA and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h plasma glucose concentrations in non-diabetic subjects as well as in diabetic subjects in general population is not well known. This was investigated in a general Chinese population.

METHODS: A stratified, random cluster sampling method was performed to select a representative sample of general population aged 20-74 years in Qingdao in 2002. A total of 1288 men and 2344 women participated in the survey. The mean UA concentration was calculated for small glucose intervals and the trend was tested using general linear model.

RESULTS: The mean concentrations of UA were 381, 393, 371, and 345 micromol/l in men with FPG of <6.1, 6.1-6.9, > or =7.0 mmol/l (newly diagnosed diabetes), and in those with prior history of diabetes. They were 308, 322, 301, and 293 micromol/l, respectively, in women. The UA levels declined with increasing FPG levels in individuals with newly diagnosed diabetes, with standardized coefficient of -0.26 in men and -0.20 in women, after multivariate adjustment for age, body mass index, triglycerides, and cardiovascular disease history. The relationship between 2-h glucose and UA was not as clear as that for FPG.

CONCLUSION: Serum UA levels tended to increase with increasing FPG levels in non-diabetic individuals, but decrease in diabetic individuals.