Background: Uric acid, the final product of purine catabolism, has been associated with dyslipidemia, most importantly hypertriglyceridemia. But studies on the relation between uric acid and lipid parameters in the Indian population have been minimal.
Methods: Relation between serum uric acid and serum lipids in 121 healthy men, aged 34 to 60 years was studied retrospectively. The subjects were stratified according to age and uric acid levels. All biochemical parameters were measured on automated analysers using reagent kits from standard companies.
Results: In men < 45 years in age, those having high serum uric acid levels had a higher serum total cholesterol (p = 0.003), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.005), triglycerides (p = 0.02), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.02) than those having low serum uric acid. Whereas in the > or = 45 year age group when subjects having high serum uric acid were compared to those having low uric acid levels, the only parameters that showed an increase were triglycerides (p = 0.009) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.008). A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between serum uric acid and serum triglycerides in men of both age groups separately, but between serum uric acid and serum total cholesterol only in the lower age group.
Conclusions: Thus, serum uric acid levels in the normal range might be a good indicator of the level of triglycerides and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol in men encompassing a wide age range but of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol only in men less than 45 years in age.
