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Updated: May 22, 2026

Ultrasonic Assessment of Myocardial Microstructure
Published on: January 14, 2014
Hyperuricemia and the echocardiographic measures of myocardial dysfunction
Eswar Krishnan1, Ali Hariri, Omar Dabbous
1Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. e.krishnan@stanford.edu
Insights
High serum uric acid levels in adults are linked to subclinical myocardial dysfunction and increased risk of heart failure. This finding suggests hyperuricemia may serve as an early indicator for developing heart conditions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disease Research
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Subclinical myocardial dysfunction is an early stage of heart failure.
- The association between hyperuricemia and subclinical myocardial dysfunction requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the relationship between serum uric acid levels and subclinical markers of heart failure.
- To assess cardiac function using echocardiography in a large cohort.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Framingham Offspring Cohort (N=2169).
- Assessed left ventricular (LV) mass, thickness, and fractional shortening via echocardiography.
- Compared echocardiographic abnormalities across quartiles of serum uric acid levels.
Main Results:
- Participants in the highest serum uric acid quartile (≥ 6.2 mg/dL) showed significantly more echocardiographic abnormalities.
- Higher uric acid levels correlated with increased odds of abnormal LV ejection fraction (OR 9.013) and LV systolic dysfunction (OR 4.584).
Conclusions:
- Hyperuricemia is associated with subclinical myocardial dysfunction.
- Elevated serum uric acid in young adults may predict future heart failure development.
Abstract:
Few studies have investigated the association between hyperuricemia and subclinical myocardial dysfunction. The authors analyzed the relationship between serum uric acid and subclinical markers of heart failure in participants in the Framingham Offspring Cohort (N=2169, mean age 57.3 years, 55.4% women). Cardiac dysfunction was assessed through echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular (LV) mass and thickness, end-diastolic LV thickness, and LV fractional shortening at the sixth visit, approximately 24 years after study onset. Participants in the highest serum uric acid quartile (≥ 6.2 mg/dL serum uric acid) had a significantly greater frequency of echocardiographic abnormalities compared with those in the lowest quartile (<4.3 mg/dL). Those in the highest quartile had multivariable-adjusted odds ratios of 9.013 (95% confidence interval, 2.051-39.604) for abnormal LV ejection fraction and 4.584 (95% confidence interval, 1.951-10.768) for LV systolic dysfunction compared with those in the lowest quartile. Hyperuricemia in young adults can be a marker for subsequent heart failure.
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