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Association of hyperuricemia with valvular heart disease and the modifying effect of obesity

Seung Min Jung1, Sang-Hyuk Jung2,3, Su-Nam Lee4

  • 1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine
|July 13, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels, or hyperuricemia, are linked to increased valvular heart disease (VHD) risk. This association was observed across a large cohort, with very high SUA levels posing the greatest risk for VHD development.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Hyperuricemia is associated with cardiovascular disease, but its link to incident valvular heart disease (VHD) is unclear.
  • Understanding this relationship is crucial for cardiovascular risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and incident VHD.
  • To explore the influence of weight management and obesity on this association.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized UK Biobank cohort data from 462,705 participants.
  • Categorized participants by SUA levels: normal (<6.0 mg/dL), high (6.0-8.9 mg/dL), and very high (≥9.0 mg/dL).
  • Assessed VHD risk based on SUA, metabolic profiles, BMI, and waist circumference over a 12.3-year follow-up.

Main Results:

  • Significantly higher adjusted VHD risk observed with very high SUA (2.31x) and high SUA (1.25x) compared to normal SUA.
  • A dose-response relationship between SUA levels and VHD risk was evident, particularly with metabolic disorders.
  • Obesity's impact on VHD was more pronounced at lower SUA levels (<9.0 mg/dL).

Conclusions:

  • Hyperuricemia is significantly associated with an increased risk of incident valvular heart disease.
  • Elevated SUA levels may be relevant for VHD risk stratification.
  • Weight management's role in mitigating VHD risk in hyperuricemia warrants further investigation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Metabolic disorderObesityUric acidValvular heart disease

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