Dangers of asymptomatic hyperuricemia

  With the improvement of people’s living standard and the change of diet structure, the number of people with increased blood uric acid level found in health checkups is increasing year by year, especially in middle-aged and elderly people, and the prevalence is significantly higher in men than in women. The diagnosis of hyperuricemia is defined internationally as a fasting blood uric acid level of >420μmol/L in men and >360μmol/L in women on two non-same days under normal purine diet. It is estimated that 10% of the national population suffers from hyperuricemia, and the prevalence of hyperuricemia in coastal and economically developed areas is even as high as 20% or more, and the prevalence of hyperuricemia in China is already higher than the prevalence of diabetes.  Because patients have no clinical symptoms, they often do not draw attention to it and neglect treatment. It has been proved that hyperuricemia is associated with many diseases and is as dangerous to the health of middle-aged and elderly people as hypertension and diabetes, which is a problem that cannot be ignored.  Gout is only the tip of the iceberg of hyperuricemia, and asymptomatic hyperuricemia other than gout has no significant clinical symptoms, but its harmful effects are potential and continuous, and more harmful in the long term. Numerous clinical studies have shown that HUA is closely related to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system diseases, endocrine diseases and chronic kidney diseases, and is an independent risk factor for the occurrence and development of these diseases.  The results of the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Survey showed that the incidence of hypertension, stage 2 or more chronic kidney disease, obesity, diabetes, kidney stones, heart attack, heart failure and stroke in patients with hyperuricemia was 74%, 71%, 53%, 26%, 24%, 14%, 11% and 10%, respectively.  First, for every 60 μmol/L increase in blood uric acid levels in the general population, the risk of new-onset diabetes increased by 17%. In addition, there is a correlation between HUA and peripheral neuropathy (NDS) in diabetic patients.  Second, blood uric acid is an independent risk factor for the development of hypertension. A US study of men aged 35-57 years with hyperuricemia (>420 μmol/L) but without diabetes, abnormal glucose tolerance, or metabolic syndrome found an 81% increased risk of hypertension in patients with hyperuricemia after a mean follow-up of 6 years. For every 60 μmol/L increase in blood uric acid, the risk of hypertension increased by 9%.  Third, there are numerous clinical reports on the relationship between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular disease. A systematic review and Meta-analysis of 402,997 adult patients from several countries, including the United States, Canada, and Korea, including 26 prospective cohort studies, showed that after excluding the effects of traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease (age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia), patients with hyperuricemia had a 9% increased overall risk of coronary heart disease and HUA The risk of death from coronary heart disease was increased by 16% in patients with HUA. For every 60 μmol/L increase in blood uric acid, the risk of death from coronary heart disease increased by 12%. The correlation was more pronounced in female patients; and hyperuricemia is considered an independent risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease.  Fourth, hyperuricemia is also associated with an increased risk of stroke. The results of 15 prospective studies including 22,571 stroke patients and 104,2358 participants abroad suggest that hyperuricemia increases the risk of stroke by 22% and the risk of death from stroke by 33%.  Fifth, hyperuricemia has a more direct and pronounced effect on the kidneys, as approximately 70% of uric acid is normally excreted by the kidneys. Hyperuricemia is closely related to the development and progression of acute and chronic kidney disease, and the two interact with each other in a causal relationship. The kidney is the main way to excrete uric acid in the body, therefore, hyperuricemia can lead to acute hyperuricemic nephropathy and chronic uric acid nephropathy, and even renal failure. Patients with chronic kidney disease have reduced uric acid excretion due to decreased kidney function, further aggravating hyperuricemia. For every 60umol/L increase in blood uric acid, the risk of acute renal failure increases by 74%. The risk of chronic renal failure in patients with blood uric acid >392 μmol/L was also found to be increased by 94% in men and 420% in women. It is suggested that blood uric acid levels are significantly associated with the incidence of chronic renal failure, more significantly in women.  In conclusion, hyperuricemia is not only directly related to the occurrence and development of gout, but also interacts with and influences the occurrence and development of various cardiovascular diseases, endocrine diseases and renal diseases, and should be given sufficient attention in clinical treatment.