Correlation Analysis of Serum Uric Acid and Uric Acid Creatinine Ratio With Sarcopenia in the Elderly

Sarcopenia is a progressive and systemic skeletal muscle disease. Uric acid is a powerful endogenous antioxidant and an indicator reflecting the nutritional status in the human body. Serum uric acid creatinine ratio (UCR) is serum uric acid (SUA) corrected by renal function. The relationship between SUA, UCR, and sarcopenia remains underexplored. This study explored the correlation between SUA, UCR, and sarcopenia in elderly patients.

This study included 214 elderly patients (aged > 65 years) who were hospitalized in Xiangya Second Hospital from March 2022 to July 2023. T test, U test, or chi-squared test was used to compare the differences between groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between SUA, UCR, and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and handgrip strength. The relationship between SUA, UCR, and sarcopenia was estimated by a multivariate logistic regression model. ROC curve was drawn to test the diagnostic efficacy of SUA and UCR for sarcopenia.

The levels of SUA and UCR were significantly lower in participants with sarcopenia. Spearman correlation analysis showed that SUA and UCR were positively correlated with handgrip strength and skeletal muscle mass index. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for relevant confounding factors, UCR remained significantly associated with sarcopenia, while SUA didn't. The AUC of SUA combined with UCR in diagnosing sarcopenia in males was 0.744. In females, the progressive significance of SUA was not statistically significant. The AUC of UCR was 0.658.

In the elderly, SUA and UCR are related to sarcopenia, but there are certain gender differences.