Relationship Between Serum Uric Acid Levels And Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Serum uric acid has gained increasing attention as a potential marker of cardiometabolic health because of its observed associations with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. Although the precise role of uric acid in the development of cardiovascular disorders remains a subject of ongoing debate, numerous epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested that elevated serum uric acid levels may contribute to endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and impaired nitric oxide bioavailability, thereby promoting adverse cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes. At the same time, hyperuricaemia may also reflect the presence of underlying metabolic disturbances and serve as an indicator of increased cardiovascular risk rather than a direct causal factor. Given these uncertainties, evaluating the relationship between serum uric acid and established cardiovascular risk factors remains important for improving risk stratification and identifying individuals who may benefit from early preventive interventions. In the present cross-sectional study involving 220 adult participants, serum uric acid concentrations were measured alongside key cardiovascular risk indicators, including blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and lipid parameters. Participants were categorized into quartiles according to serum uric acid levels to assess the presence of dose-response relationships across increasing concentrations. The analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between serum uric acid and several major cardiovascular risk factors. Higher uric acid levels were moderately associated with elevated systolic blood pressure (r ≈ 0.41), increased triglyceride concentrations (r ≈ 0.38), and higher fasting glucose levels (r ≈ 0.30), indicating a progressive worsening of cardiometabolic status with increasing uric acid concentrations. Conversely, serum uric acid showed a significant inverse relationship with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (r ≈ −0.28), suggesting that higher uric acid levels are associated with less favorable lipid profiles. Furthermore, the prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and metabolic syndrome increased significantly across successive uric acid quartiles, demonstrating a clear graded relationship between hyperuricaemia and cardiometabolic risk burden. Multivariable regression analyses confirmed that these associations persisted even after adjustment for potential confounding factors, supporting an independent relationship between elevated serum uric acid and adverse cardiovascular risk profiles. Collectively, these findings indicate that higher serum uric acid levels are closely linked to multiple established cardiovascular risk factors and may serve as a useful marker for identifying individuals at increased cardiometabolic risk. The observed dose-response pattern across uric acid quartiles further strengthens the clinical relevance of serum uric acid measurement and supports its consideration as part of comprehensive cardiovascular and metabolic risk assessment strategies in adult populations...