Carotid intima-media thickness in patients with hyperuricemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective Despite the high incidence and mortality of cardiovascular events in hyperuricemia patients, the role of serum uric acid in cardiovascular diseases is still controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the difference of carotid intima-media thickness in hyperuricemia and control groups. Methods We performed this meta-analysis by searching the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science databases up to July 2020. The 95% confidence intervals and standard mean differences were calculated to analyze the differences in carotid intima-media thickness in hyperuricemia groups and control groups. Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and meta-regression were used to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated by funnel plot and Begg's regression test. We used Stata 14.0 software to complete our analyses. Results A total of 8 articles were included. The results showed that there was a significant increase in carotid intima-media thickness in the hyperuricemia groups compared with the control groups [SMD = 0.264, 95% CI (0.161-0.366), P < 0.001]. Subgroup analyses showed that age, sample size, blood pressure and body mass index were not the source of heterogeneity. Meta-regression enrolled the method of CIMT measurement, location, age, smoking and diabetes mellitus as categorical variables, but none of these factors was found to be significant in the model. The Begg's test value (P = 0.174) was greater than 0.05, indicating there was no publication bias. ConclusionThe results showed that carotid intima-media thickness was increased in hyperuricemia patients compared with controls, which indicated that hyperuricemia patients may have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Association Between Serum Uric Acid and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Different Fasting Blood Glucose Patterns: A Case-Control Study

“…Similarly, several studies reported that SUA levels were independently associated with the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, especially myocardial infarction and stroke; therefore, SUA is a strong predictor of subsequent cardiovascular diseases and all-cause death ( 20 – 23 ). The result of a recent meta-analysis showed that patients with hyperuricemia had a higher incidence of CIMT thickening than the normal population ( 24 ).…”

Inflammaging and Vascular Function in Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Hyperuricemia

“…While cfPWV is a gold standard for measuring arterial function, CIMT, on the other hand, mainly represents the structure of the carotid artery [ 13 ]. Studies have shown a large age impact on the relationship between SUA and CIMT [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Nevertheless, in this study we had a different age range between the men and women groups; however, we did not succeed in finding an association in either of them.…”

Higher body mass index is associated with higher hyperurcemia in patients with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea

“…The uric acid/creatinine ratio (Uric/Cr) decreased from 8.86 ±2.49 preoperatively to 7.90 ±2.74, 7.6 ±2.29, and 6.92 ±1.86 at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery (P =0.025)(see Table 5 and Figure 2). [20,21], additionally, lowering uric acid levels may reduce cardiovascular events in patients with sleep apnea [22]. Previous studies suggested that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome may be a potential risk factor for the development of hyperuricemia and gout [4].…”