Relationship between serum uric acid and metabolic syndrome: an analysis by structural equation modeling

To investigate the nature of the relationships between uric acid and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components.

Body mass index, waist circumference, serum uric acid, fasting glucose, lipid profiles, and blood pressure were measured in 13,811 subjects aged between 18 and 85 years of age. Two structural equation models (SEMs) were used to test a hypothesis regarding the linking roles of uric acid in the occurrence of MetS components in male and female separately.

The findings of the SEM demonstrated that increased uric acid level was associated with fasting glucose (beta = 0.221, P < .001), blood pressure (beta = 0.158, P < .001), and lipid profiles (beta = 0.391, P < .001) in women. Increased uric acid level was associated with decreased fasting glucose (beta = -0.071, P < .001) and increased lipid profiles (beta = 0.352, P < .001) in men. The association was stronger between uric acid and lipid profiles than those between uric acid and other MetS components.

By using SEM, we were able to confirm the intimate relationships between uric acid and MetS components, particularly in women. The associations between uric acid and MetS components were gender specific, and the nature of such association requires further exploration.