Association between serum uric acid levels and cardiometabolic risk factors among Japanese junior high school students

Investigating the relationship between serum uric acid to high-density lipoprotein ratio and metabolic syndrome

Aims

This study aimed to determine a parameter to more easily diagnose metabolic syndrome and predict its probability of occurrence in high‐risk individuals.

Methods

In this cross‐sectional study, data related to the study population in the Kerman Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factor Study (KERCADRS) were examined. Subjects were divided into two groups with and without metabolic syndrome, and the relevant factors such as the ratios of uric acid to high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) (UHR) in these two groups were compared, and the best cut‐off point was determined.

Results

Data related to 817 people including 96 people with metabolic syndrome and 721 people without metabolic syndrome were analysed. The mean UHR was significantly higher in patients with metabolic syndrome (14.76 ± 6.33%) compared with those without metabolic syndrome (10.0 ± 3.10%) (p < .001). People with high UHR are 2.9 times more at risk of metabolic syndrome and the best cut‐off point was 9.50% with 86% sensitivity and 55% specificity.

Conclusions

According to our study, UHR is also helpful in diagnosing metabolic syndrome and can also be used to screen people at risk for metabolic syndrome.

Association of serum uric acid concentration with components of pediatric metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:

Hyperuricemia is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) in childhood is one of the most important causes of different noncommunicable diseases in adulthood. This study aimed to systematically review the association between serum uric acid (UA) concentration and components of pediatric MetS.

Materials and Methods:

In this meta-analysis and systematic review, related articles were gathered by searching English databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We used the following keywords: uric acid, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, fasting blood sugar (FBS), hyperglycemia; the search was limited to English language and included observational and cohort studies performed among children or adolescents. Pooled relative risks (odds ratio [OR]) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were extracted. A random-effect model was used.

Results:

On the basis of 34 eligible studies, the pooled correlation between UA with metabolic components including FBS (r = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.09–0.40), fasting insulin (r = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.15–0.37), and hyperglycemia (r for triglyceride and UA = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.19–0.38) (r for high-density lipoprotein and UA = −0.28, 95% CI = −0.37 to −0.20) was statistically significant. The association of both diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was statistically significant with UA (r for SBP and UA = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.24–0.43; r for DBP and UA = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.11–0.25). The OR between risk of abdominal obesity with UA was statistically significant (OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.41–3.84).

Conclusion:

Serum UA concentration is associated with major components of the pediatric MetS. Its measurement and control should be underscored in at-risk children and adolescents.

Abdominal and Thigh Muscle Attenuation Is Associated With Visceral Fat and Age in Children and Adolescents With Obesity

Objective. This study investigated relationships between adipose tissue deposition within skeletal muscle and morphological and biochemical variables in children with obesity. Methods. Fifty-one Japanese children (16 girls) aged 7 to 16 years were assigned to either mild (<20%), moderate (≥20% to <50%), or severe obesity groups (≥50%). Computed tomography images were taken to calculate the cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue (VAT, for abdomen only), and muscle signal intensities, as an index of intramuscular adipose tissue in the anterior, lateral, and posterior muscles of the abdomen and quadriceps, hamstring and adductor muscles in the thigh. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure plasma lipids, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, uric acid, glucose, and HbA1c. Results. Signal intensity in the severe obesity group was significantly lower than mild and moderate obesity groups in the abdomen and significantly lower than the moderate obesity group in the thigh. Stepwise regression analysis with signal intensity as dependent variable revealed that VAT CSA and age in abdominal muscles and VAT CSA, age, and triglycerides in thigh muscles are predictors of signal intensities. Conclusions. These results suggest that VAT CSA and age are predictors of intramuscular adipose tissue of the abdominal and thigh in children with obesity.

Associations of plasma uric acid and purine metabolites with blood pressure in children: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

Elevated serum uric acid concentration has been associated with high blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. A putative underlying mechanism is the accumulation of reactive oxygen species when uric acid is generated by an increased enzyme activity of xanthine oxidase (XO). The aims of the present study were to investigate the associations between plasma uric acid concentration, purine metabolite ratios, as proxies for increased XO activity, and SBP and DBP in school-age children.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analyses were performed in 246 children (46% boys; mean age 7.1 years) from the Dutch KOALA Birth Cohort Study. Purine metabolites were determined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. During a home visit, a nurse collected a blood sample and measured BP three times; in addition, parents measured their child's BP on three consecutive days, in the morning and evening. Generalized estimating equations were used for analyses while controlling for variables such as sex, age, BMI, physical activity, and dietary intake.

RESULTS

In multivariable analysis, uric acid (per SD of 38 μmol/l) was associated with DBP z-scores [sβ 0.07; confidence interval (CI), 0.01-1.14], but not with SBP z-scores. Higher ratios of uric acid/xanthine (per SD of 138) (sβ 0.09; CI, 0.01-0.17) and xanthine/hypoxanthine (per SD of 321) (sβ 0.08; CI, 0.02-0.17) were associated with higher DBP z-scores, but not with SBP z-scores.

CONCLUSION

In school-age children, uric acid and the ratios of uric acid/xanthine and xanthine/hypoxanthine were significantly associated with DBP z-scores. Suggesting that, both uric acid concentration and increased XO activity are associated with BP.

Helicobacter pylori infection and its related factors in junior high school students in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

BACKGROUND

There have been few reports on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in asymptomatic Japanese children and adolescents. We hypothesized that the prevalence of H. pylori infection is very low among Japanese children and that clinical variables such as serum pepsinogen and iron levels are associated with H. pylori infection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a sample of 454 junior high school students aged 12-15 years in four areas in Nagano Prefecture. A commercial ELISA kit (E-plate Eiken H. pylori antibody) was used to measure IgG antibody against H. pylori. Serum pepsinogen and iron levels were also measured using standard methods. A urea breath test was performed for seropositive students.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of H. pylori was 3.1% (14/454). There were no significant differences in H. pylori prevalence among mountain, rural, and urban areas. The mean level of both serum pepsinogen (PG I) and PG II was significantly increased in the seropositive subjects compared with the seronegative subjects. When the cutoff values for adults (PG I: 70 ng/mL and PG I/II ratio: 3) were used, 4 of 14 subjects had PG I ≤70 ng/mL and PG I/II ratio ≤3. The results of a logistic regression analysis showed that low serum iron levels were significantly associated with H. pylori infection (P=.02).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of H. pylori infection is as low as 3% among junior high school students aged 12-15 years in Japan. The disappearance of H. pylori is accelerating in Japanese children.

Hyperuricemia in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Treated with Risperidone: The Risk Factors for Metabolic Adverse Effects

Background: Atypical antipsychotics have been found to be associated with hyperuricemia. Risperidone, one of the atypical antipsychotics, might be related to the hyperuricemia among autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of hyperuricemia in ASD patients treated with risperidone and to determine associations between serum uric acid levels and risperidone dosage, treatment duration, and metabolic parameters. Methods: 127 children and adolescents with ASD treated with risperidone and 76 age-matched risperidone-naïve patients with ASD were recruited. The clinical data and laboratory data were analyzed. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid >5.5 mg/dl. Results: Hyperuricemia was present in 44.70% of risperidone-naïve patients with ASD and 57.50% of ASD patients treated with risperidone. The fasting uric acid levels were significantly higher in the risperidone group than in the risperidone-naïve group (5.70 vs. 5.35 mg/dl, P = 0.01). The increased uric acid concentrations were significantly associated with adolescent patients treated with risperidone. The higher dose of risperidone and/or the longer treatment time were associated with the increased uric acid levels. Uric acid levels significantly rose with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), triglyceride (TG) levels, triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C), insulin levels, homeostatic model assessment index (HOMA-IR), high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels, and leptin levels. Conversely, the levels of HDL-C and adiponectin were negatively correlated with uric acid levels. In multiple regression analysis, there were age, BMI, TG/HDL-C ratio, and adiponectin levels remained significantly associated with uric acid levels. Conclusion: Hyperuricemia may play a role in metabolic adverse effect in children and adolescents with ASDs receiving the high dose and/or the long-term treatment with risperidone.

Novelty in hypertension in children and adolescents: focus on hypertension during the first year of life, use and interpretation of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, role of physical activity in prevention and treatment, simple carbohydrates and uric acid as risk factors

The present article intends to provide an update of the article "Focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in children and adolescents" published in 2013 (Spagnolo et al., Ital J Pediatr 39:20, 2013) in this journal. This revision is justified by the fact that during the last years there have been several new scientific contributions to the problem of hypertension in pediatric age and during adolescence. Nevertheless, for what regards some aspects of the previous article, the newly acquired information did not require substantial changes to what was already published, both from a cultural and from a clinical point of view. We felt, however, the necessity to rewrite and/or to extend other parts in the light of the most recent scientific publications. More specifically, we updated and extended the chapters on the diagnosis and management of hypertension in newborns and unweaned babies, on the use and interpretation of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and on the usefulness of and indications for physical activity. Furthermore, we added an entirely new section on the role that simple carbohydrates (fructose in particular) and uric acid may play in the pathogenesis of hypertension in pediatric age.

Importance of cystatin C and uric acid levels in the association of cardiometabolic risk factors in Japanese junior high school students

BACKGROUND

Serum cystatin C (CysC), a novel marker of renal function, is associated with the components of metabolic syndrome in adults. Little is known about the utility of CysC and its association with cardiometabolic risks in young subjects.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In a cohort of 454 Japanese junior high school students, the distribution of serum CysC levels and associated variables were analyzed. CysC levels were significantly higher in boys than in girls (0.92±0.10mg/L vs. 0.77±0.08mg/L, p<0.001). CysC was significantly correlated with serum creatinine (r=0.473, p<0.001), and serum uric acid (SUA) (r=0.546, p<0.001). Multivariable regression analysis revealed significant associations between CysC and SUA in all subjects (β=0.241, p<0.001), and in boys and girls separately (β=0.264 and 0.240, respectively, both p<0.001). Importantly, subjects with elevation of both serum CysC and SUA levels had the highest ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

CONCLUSIONS

CysC had significant associations with both creatinine and SUA in Japanese junior high school students. The concomitant elevation of serum CysC and SUA levels was associated with subclinical lipid metabolism dysregulation, and suggested the presence of cardiometabolic risk accumulation.

Association of serum uric acid levels to inflammation biomarkers and endothelial dysfunction in obese prepubertal children

BACKGROUND

High serum uric acid (SUA) levels are present in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), when the latter is associated with endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and hypertension. This increase in SUA levels may have a key role in cardiovascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to quantify the differences in inflammation biomarkers, endothelial dysfunction, and parameters associated with MetS in obese prepubertal children compared to non-obese children, and determine if there is a relationship between uric acid levels and these variables.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out on obese children (6-9 yr old). The study included 43 obese children and the same number of non-obese children (control group), matched by age and sex. SUA, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and blood pressure were all measured.

RESULTS

SUA levels, CRP, and sICAM-1 were significantly higher in obese children. In the obese group, SUA levels showed a positive correlation with body mass index (BMI), insulin, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), CRP, IL-6, sICAM-1, and triglycerides (TGs), and correlated negatively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and Apo-AI, but not with Apo-B. When adjusted for age, sex, and creatinine, it was noted that SUA levels are independent predictive factors for sICAM-1, CRP, and IL-6.

CONCLUSIONS

Inflammation biomarkers, endothelial dysfunction, and parameters associated with MetS are elevated in obese prepubertal children and correlate to uric acid levels.

Homocysteine and Arginine-to-Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Ratio Associated With Blood Pressure Abnormalities in Children With Early Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND

Less attention has been paid to evaluating subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the early stage of pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD). Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and arterial stiffness are the earliest detectable assessments of subclinical CVD. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an analog of L-arginine (ARG) that inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production; thus the ARG-to-ADMA ratio (AAR) is an index of NO. Homocysteine (HCY) is a risk factor for CVD and it can be metabolized to L-cysteine (CYS). Given that HCY and ADMA/NO are closely linked and related to hypertension, we therefore investigated whether ARG and HCY metabolites, arterial stiffness parameters, ABPM profile, and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are interrelated in children and adolescents with early CKD.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This cross-sectional study included 57 pediatric patients with CKD stages 1-3. Two-thirds of the children with CKD stages 1-3 exhibited BP abnormalities accessed by ABPM. Children with CKD stages 2-3 had higher HCY, but lower CYS levels. The plasma HCY level was increased in children with LVH and abnormal ABPM. Systolic BP positively correlated with biomarkers AAR, HCY, and CYS. LV mass positively correlated with AAR, HCY, and CYS.

CONCLUSIONS

BP abnormalities were prevalent and associated with AAR, HCY, and CYS in children with early CKD. Our data highlighted the effect of NO and the HCY pathway on CKD-related hypertension.

Serum uric acid concentrations and SLC2A9 genetic variation in Hispanic children: the Viva La Familia Study

BACKGROUND

Elevated concentrations of serum uric acid are associated with increased risk of gout and renal and cardiovascular diseases. Genetic studies in adults have consistently identified associations of solute carrier family 2, member 9 (SLC2A9), polymorphisms with variation in serum uric acid. However, it is not known whether the association of serum uric acid with SLC2A9 polymorphisms manifests in children.

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to investigate whether variation in serum uric acid is under genetic influence and whether the association with SLC2A9 polymorphisms generalizes to Hispanic children of the Viva La Familia Study.

DESIGN

We conducted a genomewide association study with 1.1 million genetic markers in 815 children.

RESULTS

We found serum uric acid to be significantly heritable [h(2) ± SD = 0.45 ± 0.08, P = 5.8 × 10(-11)] and associated with SLC2A9 variants (P values between 10(-16) and 10(-7)). Several of the significantly associated polymorphisms were previously identified in studies in adults. We also found positive genetic correlations between serum uric acid and BMI z score (ρG = 0.45, P = 0.002), percentage of body fat (ρG = 0.28, P = 0.04), fat mass (ρG = 0.34, P = 0.02), waist circumference (ρG = 0.42, P = 0.003), and waist-to-height ratio (ρG = 0.46, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that variation in serum uric acid in Hispanic children is under considerable genetic influence and is associated with obesity-related phenotypes. As in adults, genetic variation in SLC2A9 is associated with serum uric acid concentrations, an important biomarker of renal and cardiovascular disease risk, in Hispanic children.

Comorbidities in patients with crystal diseases and hyperuricemia

Crystal arthropathies are among the most common causes of painful inflammatory arthritis. Gout, the most common example, has been associated with cardiovascular and renal disease. In recent years, evidence for these associations and those involving other comorbidities, such as the metabolic syndrome, have emerged, and the importance of asymptomatic hyperuricemia has been established. In this review, an update on evidence, both experimental and clinical, is presented, and associations between hyperuricemia, gout, and several comorbidities are described. Causality regarding calcium pyrophosphate arthropathy and associated comorbidities is also reviewed.

Obesity-related cardiorenal disease: the benefits of bariatric surgery

The inexorable increase in the prevalence of obesity is a global health concern, which will result in a concomitant escalation in health-care costs. Obesity-related metabolic syndrome affects approximately 25% of adults and is associated with cardiovascular and renal disease. The heart and kidneys are physiologically interdependent, and the pathological effects of obesity can lead to cardiorenal syndrome and, ultimately, kidney and heart failure. Weight loss can prevent or ameliorate obesity-related cardiorenal syndrome, but long-term maintenance of a healthy weight has been difficult to achieve through lifestyle changes or pharmacotherapy. Bariatric surgery offers both sustained weight loss and favourable metabolic changes, including dramatic improvements in glycaemic control and symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Procedures such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass offer immediate multisystemic benefits, including bile flow alteration, reduced gastric size, anatomical gut rearrangement and altered flow of nutrients, vagal manipulation and enteric hormone modulation. In patients with cardiorenal syndrome, bariatric surgery also offers renoprotection and cardioprotection, and attenuates both kidney and heart failure by improving organ perfusion and reversing metabolic dysfunction. However, further research is required to understand how bariatric surgery acts on the cardiorenal axis, and its pioneering role in novel treatments and interventions for cardiorenal disease.

Positive association between perfluoroalkyl chemicals and hyperuricemia in children

Hyperuricemia in children is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and future cardiovascular disease. Serum perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) levels have been shown to be positively associated with hyperuricemia in adults, but the association in children remains unexplored. We therefore examined the association between serum PFOA and PFOS levels and hyperuricemia in a representative sample of US children. A cross-sectional study was performed on 1,772 participants ≤18 years of age from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000 and 2003-2008. The main outcome of interest was hyperuricemia, defined as serum uric acid levels ≥6 mg/dL. We found that serum levels of PFOA and PFOS were positively associated with hyperuricemia, independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, annual household income, physical activity, serum total cholesterol, and serum cotinine levels. Compared with subjects in quartile 1 (referent), subjects in quartile 4 had multivariable-adjusted odds ratios for hyperuricemia of 1.62 (95% confidence interval: 1.10, 2.37) for PFOA and 1.65 (95% confidence interval: 1.10, 2.49) for PFOS. Our findings indicate that serum perfluoroalkyl chemical levels are significantly associated with hyperuricemia in children even at the lower "background" exposure levels of the US general population.

Uric acid best predicts metabolically unhealthy obesity with increased cardiovascular risk in youth and adults

OBJECTIVE

The obesity prevalence is growing worldwide and largely responsible for cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death in the western world. The rationale of this study was to distinguish metabolically healthy from unhealthy overweight/obese young and adult patients as compared to healthy normal weight age matched controls by an extensive anthropometric, laboratory, and sonographic vascular assessment.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Three hundred fifty five young [8 to < 18 years, 299 overweight/obese(ow/ob), 56 normal weight (nw)] and 354 adult [>18-60 years, 175 (ow/ob), 179 nw)] participants of the STYJOBS/EDECTA (STYrian Juvenile Obesity Study/Early DEteCTion of Atherosclerosis) cohort were analyzed. STYJOBS/EDECTA (NCT00482924) is a crossectional study to investigate metabolic/cardiovascular risk profiles in normal and ow/ob people free of disease except metabolic syndrome (MetS).

RESULTS

From 299 young ow/ob subjects (8-< 18 years), 108 (36%), and from 175 adult ow/ob subjects (>18-60 years), 79 (45%) had positive criteria for MetS. In both age groups, prevalence of MetS was greater among males. Overweight/obese subjects were divided into "healthy" (no MetS criterion except anthropometry fulfilled) and "unhealthy" (MetS positive). Although percentage body fat did not differ between "healthy" and "unhealthy" ow/ob, nuchal and visceral fat were significantly greater in the "unhealthy" group which had also significantly higher values of carotid intima media thickness (IMT). With MetS as the dependent variable, two logistic regressions including juveniles <18 years or adults >18 years were performed. The potential predictor variables selected with the exception of age and gender by t test comparisons included IMT, ultrasensitive c-reactive protein (US-CRP), IL-6, malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized LDL, leptin, adiponectin, uric acid (UA), aldosterone, cortisol, transaminases, fibrinogen. In both groups, uric acid and in adults only, leptin and adiponectin, turned out as the best predictor.

CONCLUSION

Serum levels of UA are a significant predictor of unhealthy obesity in juveniles and adults.

Optimal uric acid threshold to identify insulin resistance in healthy women

BACKGROUND

Identifying insulin-resistant (IR) individuals is an issue of particular interest in the assessment of cardiometabolic risk, but there is no simple way to accomplish this task. Our aims were to determine the relationship between uric acid and insulin resistance and to define the optimal uric acid cutoff to identify insulin resistance in women.

METHODS

A population-based sample of 588 women without cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was divided according to uric acid tertiles. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio, insulin [fasting plasma insulin (FPI)], and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were compared between the mentioned tertiles. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determinate the optimal cutoff of uric acid and identify IR individuals defined by the top tertile of FPI and HOMA-IR. The same variables were compared using the top tertile of uric acid and the maximum Youden index as cutoffs. The P values were adjusted by age, GFR, and body mass index (BMI) using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

RESULTS

FPI, HOMA-IR, and all of the cardiometabolic risk factors increased through uric acid tertiles. Both cutoffs of uric acid, estimated by the top tertile and by ROC, were identical (4.0 mg/dL). FPI, HOMA-IR, SBP, DBP, TG, TG/HDL-C ratio, and fasting glucose were higher, whereas HDL-C was lower in women who had uric acid levels >4.0 mg/dL. All of the differences remained significant after the adjustment by age and GFR.

CONCLUSION

In healthy women, uric acid levels >4.0 mg/dL were associated with all the markers of IR.

Serum uric acid as an independent and incremental prognostic marker in addition to N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

There are limited data regarding the prognostic value of serum uric acid (UA) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We investigated whether UA predicts the prognosis independently and whether it has an incremental value to other factors, including N-terminal Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP), in patients with AMI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study included 850 patients with AMI who were enrolled in the Korea AMI Registry from a single center. A major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) was defined as a composite of death, recurrent myocardial infarction, and revascularization. During 6-month follow-up, MACE developed in 109 (12.8%). UA was higher in patients with MACE than in those without MACE (6.5 ± 2.4 mg/dl vs. 5.4 ± 1.8 mg/dl, P < 0.001). In the Cox-proportional hazard model, UA (hazard ratio [HR] 1.297, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.075-1.565, P=0.007) was an independent predictor for 6-month MACE in addition to log NT-ProBNP (HR 2.362, 95%CI 1.007-5.539, P = 0.048), heart rate (HR 1.028, 95%CI 1.009-1.047, P = 0.004) and 3-vessel disease (HR 3.278, 95%CI 1.378 to 7.797, P = 0.007). UA had incremental prognostic value to conventional risk factors (chi-squar e= 8, P = 0.005), and to the combination of conventional factors and NT-ProBNP (chi-square = 10, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

UA is an independent predictor of short-term prognosis and has incremental value to NT-ProBNP in patients with AMI.