Relationship between uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women

Abstract

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women, seeking to associate uric acid levels with the variables that characterize metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk variables. METHODS: Cross-sectional analytical study. The study sample consisted of 131 women, aged 50 and 65 and at least with one year of amenorrhea. Uric acid levels were divided into quintiles forming groups named G1 to G5, where G1 included patients with lower levels of uric acid and G5 included those with higher levels. To analyze the association with metabolic syndrome, uric acid levels were dichotomized by 6 mg/dl and above 6 mg/dl. Metabolic syndrome was categorized according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 59.9±4.27 years. The higher prevalence of hypertension and metabolic syndrome occurred in the group with higher levels of uric acid. The risk of metabolic syndrome was 2.8 times higher in women with hyperuricemia (uric acid above 6.0 mg/dl).With respect to the association of the variables of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk with levels of uric acid, it was found that there was an association between uric acid level and body mass index, but not between uric acid level and other variables that characterize metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of postmenopausal women there was association between uric acid level and body mass index: the group with higher levels of uric acid had higher body mass index mean.