A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of Hyperuricemia Using a Japanese Healthcare Database

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Epidemiology
• Public health

Background:

• Hyperuricemia (HU) is a condition characterized by elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels.
• Accurate prevalence data and understanding of associated comorbidities are essential for public health initiatives.
• Previous studies may not fully capture the prevalence of HU when considering both SUA levels and urate-lowering drug (ULD) usage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of hyperuricemia (HU) in a Japanese population.
• To consider both serum uric acid (SUA) levels and the use of urate-lowering drugs (ULDs) in defining HU.
• To investigate the association between HU and its comorbidities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Japanese healthcare database (MinaCare) with linked medical claims and health check-up data from FY 2010-2014.
• Included 60,828 subjects with at least one SUA measurement.
• Defined HU as SUA >7.0 mg/dL and/or prescription of ULDs; analyzed comorbidity associations by subgroup prevalence.

Main Results:

• In FY 2014, HU prevalence was 26.8% in males and 0.9% in females.
• Prevalence increased with age in both sexes and remained stable from FY 2010-2014.
• Confirmed positive associations between HU and comorbidities, except for diabetes mellitus and smoking in males.

Conclusions:

• This study provides a more accurate prevalence of HU in the Japanese population by incorporating medication status.
• Increased societal awareness of HU is vital to mitigate the impact of HU-related diseases.
• Further research may explore specific comorbidity management strategies in the context of HU.