• Ji Ho Park, Jung Soo Song, and Sang Tae Choi.
• Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2019 Sep 30; 34 (37): e237e237.

BackgroundBoth hyperuricemia and hyperhomocysteinemia are known as main risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. There has been, however, no report on the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and homocysteine (Hcy) in hyperuricemic patients. This study aimed to investigate how hyperuricemia is associated with increased carotid IMT with a focus on hyperhomocysteinemia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 1,222 patients who visited the Chung-Ang University Hospital Health Promotion Center from January 2013 to December 2015. The serum Hcy levels were estimated with a competitive immunoassay using the direct chemiluminescence method. The carotid IMT was measured by B-mode carotid ultrasonography. The definition of hyperuricemia was a serum uric acid level > 7.0 mg/dL for men or > 5.6 mg/dL for women, and hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as serum levels > 15 μol/L.ResultsThe hyperuricemic patients showed significantly higher serum Hcy levels and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) than did normouricemic patients (13.39 ± 4.42 vs. 11.69 ± 3.65 μol/L, P < 0.001; 85.16 ± 19.18 vs. 96.14 ± 16.63, P < 0.001, respectively). Serum Hcy level (odds ratio [OR], 1.050; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.009-1.092) and fasting glucose level (OR, 1.018; 95% CI, 1.011-1.026) were independent risk factors for carotid plaque. In patients with hyperuricemia, the serum Hcy levels correlated with the eGFR (γ = -0.478, P < 0.001). The carotid IMT correlated with serum Hcy levels and eGFR (γ = 0.196, P = 0.008; γ = - 0.297, P < 0.001, respectively) but not with the serum lipid profile.ConclusionThese results suggest that renal function impairment in hyperuricemic patients may worsen carotid IMT by increasing serum Hcy levels.© 2019 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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