Objectives: To assess the serum iron and ferritin levels in relation to the prevalence of hyperuricemia (HU) and the serum uric acid (SUA) level.
Methods: Serum iron and ferritin concentrations were detected by Ferene method and chemiluminescence method, respectively. SUA level was detected by uricase-PAP method. HU was defined as SUA ≥ 416 μmol/L for male and ≥ 357 μmol/L for female. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regressions were constructed to investigate the associations between serum iron/ferritin levels and prevalence of HU. Pearson correlation analysis and multivariable linear regression were performed to examine the correlations between serum iron/ferritin levels and SUA level.
Results: A total of 2824 subjects (mean age 52.2 ± 7.2) were included. The overall prevalence of HU was 17.3%. Compared with the lowest quartile, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) of HU were 1.33 (95%CI 0.97-1.82), 1.17 (95%CI 0.85-1.60), and 1.56 (95%CI 1.14-2.13) in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of serum iron, respectively (P for trend = 0.012), and were 1.29 (95%CI 0.89-1.88) in the second, 2.13 (95%CI 1.47-3.07) in the third, and 2.25 (95%CI 1.54-3.29) in the fourth quartile of serum ferritin (P for trend < 0.001). Pearson correlation coefficient indicated a weak positive correlation between serum iron (r = 0.2, P < 0.001) and ferritin (r = 0.3, P < 0.001) levels and SUA. Such positive correlations were further confirmed by multiple linear regression (serum iron: standardized β = 0.059, P < 0.001; serum ferritin: standardized β = 0.061, P = 0.001).
Conclusions: Both serum iron and ferritin showed a positive correlation with the prevalence of HU, and a weak positive correlation with SUA level. Key Points • Subjects with higher levels of serum iron or ferritin had higher prevalence of HU. • There was a weak positive correlation between serum iron/ferritin levels and SUA level.
Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Ferritin; Hyperuricemia; Iron; Uric acid.