Association between visceral fat area and serum uric acid in Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study

Hyperuricemia has become a vital public health problem affecting the health of residents. The visceral fat area (VFA) is closely related to many chronic diseases. However, the association between VFA and hyperuricemia within the Chinese adult population remains nebulous. The aim of the research is to assess the relationship between VFA and serum uric acid levels.

From June 2020 to June 2021, a total of 340 Chinese adults (240 in the control group and 100 in the hyperuricemia group) were recruited from the physical examination center of Hongqi Hospital Affiliated to Mudanjiang Medical University. General demographic characteristics were collected by questionnaire. VFA was measured by a body composition analyzer, and serum biochemical indices were detected by clinical laboratory. VFA in the hyperuricemia group was higher than in the control group (P＜0.05). Further, VFA demonstrated a positive correlation with serum uric acid level (r_s = 0.370, P＜0.001). To further explore this relationship, we divided the VFA into quartiles (＜P₂₅, P₂₅-P₅₀, P₅₀-P₇₅, ≥P₇₅). Upon comparison with the ＜P₂₅ group, we found the VFA in the P₂₅-P₅₀, P₅₀-P₇₅, and ≥P₇₅ groups to be associated with a substantially escalated risk of hyperuricemia, even after adjusting for age, gender, body weight, fasting plasma glucose, calcium, alanine transaminase, urea, alkaline phosphatase, and γ-glutamyltransferase. The OR and 95% CI were 2.547 (1.023, 6.341), 3.788 (1.409, 10.187) and 3.723 (1.308, 10.595), respectively (P＜0.05).

VFA has a positive correlation with serum uric acid levels and may serve as a crucial predictive marker for hyperuricemia.