High prevalence of hyperuricemia in adolescent Taiwan aborigines

To explore the prevalence and related factors of hyperuricemia among adolescent Taiwan aborigines in tribes with a high prevalence of adult gout, compared with adolescents of low prevalence aboriginal and non-aboriginal tribes.

The participants were aborigines and non-aborigines in Taiwan, age 12 to 15 years and free of gout. Each participant provided information on sex, age, and parents' tribal background as well as body weight and height. Serum samples were analyzed for biochemical markers. A logistic regression model was used to study factors related to hyperuricemia.

In total 940 adolescents participated. The hyperuricemia rate in tribes with high gout prevalence (57.7%) was higher than in non-aborigines (48.2%) and in aboriginal tribes with low gout prevalence (34.0%). Factors statistically significantly related to hyperuricemia were tribe, sex, obesity, creatinine, and cholesterol levels in preliminary analysis. After adjustment by the logistic regression model, obese boys with higher creatinine were most likely to have hyperuricemia. Adolescents whose parents originated from tribes with high gout prevalence had a tendency to have hyperuricemia, and those aborigines from tribes with low gout prevalence had a low prevalence of hyperuricemia compared to non-aborigines.

The prevalence of hyperuricemia in aboriginal adolescents mirrors the incidence of adult gout, implying a predisposition for adult gout in childhood, with genetic and/or environmental components presumably contributing to the differences between tribes; this may be of potential benefit to preventive efforts.