Association of Serum Uric Acid with Metabolic Syndrome Components Among Adult Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of interrelated cardiometabolic abnormalities, including central obesity, elevated blood pressure, impaired glucose regulation, hypertriglyceridemia, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Serum uric acid has increasingly been investigated as a potential marker associated with metabolic abnormalities. Previous studies have reported higher serum uric acid concentrations among individuals with metabolic syndrome and associations with several of its individual components. However, the strength of these relationships may vary across populations.

Objective: To assess the association between serum uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome components among adult patients attending a tertiary care centre.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 200 adult patients attending the Department of General Medicine of a tertiary care centre. Participants aged ≥18 years were included. Individuals with acute illness, chronic kidney disease, known gout, or conditions likely to substantially alter serum uric acid levels were excluded. Demographic and clinical information was recorded, including age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and serum uric acid. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to harmonized criteria, with the presence of three or more of five specified metabolic abnormalities.

Results: Among the 200 participants, 112 (56.0%) were males and 88 (44.0%) were females. The mean age was 47.6 ± 11.8 years. Metabolic syndrome was identified in 74 participants (37.0%). Mean serum uric acid was higher among participants with metabolic syndrome than among those without metabolic syndrome (6.32 ± 1.18 mg/dL vs. 5.01 ± 1.07 mg/dL; p<0.001). Serum uric acid showed positive correlations with waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose, while an inverse correlation was observed with HDL-C. Participants with three or more metabolic syndrome components had progressively higher serum uric acid concentrations than those with fewer components.

Conclusion: Higher serum uric acid concentrations were associated with metabolic syndrome and several of its individual components in this study population. Serum uric acid may therefore serve as a useful biochemical marker for identifying individuals with an adverse cardiometabolic profile. Prospective studies are required to determine the temporal and causal relationship between uric acid and metabolic syndrome.