Age and Gender Differences Between Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Serum Uric Acid

Studies have explored the relation between serum uric acid (SUA) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), but the relation remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine SUA concentration and its correlation with carotid artery atherosclerosis according to age group and gender. Subjects who underwent physical examinations at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from 2016 to 2020 were selected. Using traditional atherosclerosis risk factors as adjustment variables, the association between blood uric acid level and atherosclerosis was assessed by logistic regression analysis. A total of 15,843 subjects (73.90% men) were included, with an average age of 52 ± 12 years. The prevalence of increased CIMT was 9.51%, and the prevalence of plaque was 28.59%. Univariate analysis results showed that there were significant differences in the occurrence of increased CIMT and plaque among different SUA-level groups in both men and women (p <0.0001). After adjustment for conventional cardiovascular risk factors, increased SUA level was significantly associated with an increased risk of carotid intima-media thickening. Correlation analysis in each age subgroup showed that CIMT was significantly associated with SUA in men ≥60 years old and women 45 to 60 years old or ≥60 years old (p <0.0001). In conclusion, in both men and women, increased SUA levels are closely associated with increased CIMT. The age at which this association was observed was lower in women than in men; whether the lower age in women is due to changes in hormone levels between before and after menopause remains to be prospectively studied.