Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Hyperuricemia in Urban Chinese Check-Up Population

Background: The prevalence of hyperuricemia is increasing globally. The health check-up population is a group of people dedicated to disease prevention in public health. This study aims to estimate the current prevalence of hyperuricemia among the health check-up population in economically developed areas of China using a healthcare database. Method: Healthcare data from 48,988 subjects in 12 provinces of China who had an annual health check-up in 2021 were used. Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum urate level > 420 mmol/L and/or a history of physician-diagnosed gout. An alternative definition of serum urate level > 420 mmol/L in men and > 360 mmol/L in women was used. The stratified prevalence of hyperuricemia by sex, age, region, and comorbidity group was reported. The association between hyperuricemia and sex, age, region, and comorbidities was analyzed in the multivariate logistic regression model. Results: In 2021, the sex- and age-adjusted prevalence of hyperuricemia was 13.6% in the total population (24.3% in men and 2.6% in women) based on the definition of serum urate level > 420 mmol/L. Regional prevalence varied considerably across the country, with the highest prevalence found in Fujian and the lowest in Liaoning Province (21.6% vs. 7.3%). Male sex, aging, hypertension, obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia were likely to be associated with hyperuricemia. Conclusions: This is the largest study using a healthcare database to indicate the prevalence of hyperuricemia in a health check-up population in an economically developed area of China. The current prevalence among the Chinese health check-up population was substantial, with a higher prevalence in males and in the eastern region. Hyperuricemia and its comorbidities warrant greater attention in the developed areas of China.