Association between serum uric acid levels and coronary artery disease in different age and gender: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The association between uric acid (UA) and coronary artery disease (CAD) was controversial. It was still unclear how the UA level changes with age and gender.

AIMS: To confirm the relationship between the change of UA with age and gender and CAD, especially in elderly people.

METHODS: 8285 individuals were investigated. The changes of UA and hyperuricemia in female and male with age were analyzed. The associations of UA, and hyperuricemia with CAD in different age and sex were assessed.

RESULTS: Individuals were stratified into four groups according to their age: ≤ 39 years; 40-59 years; 60-79 years, and ≥ 80 years. The level of UA and the proportion of hyperuricemia increased significantly with age in female (P < 0.001), but showed a downward trend in male (P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, hyperuricemia remained an independent risk factor for the incident of CAD in all women (P = 0.029). In ≥ 80 year groups of female, UA and hyperuricemia became independent risk factors for the incident of CAD in the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses (all P ≤ 0.001).

DISCUSSION: The level of UA showed significantly different changes with age in different gender. The relationship between UA and CAD showed differences in different age and sex.

CONCLUSIONS: There were significant correlations between UA, hyperuricemia, and CAD only in female, particularly in the ≥ 80 year elderly women, but not in men.