Association between uric acid and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with hypertension

TL;DR

High uric acid levels are linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in people with hypertension, especially in certain groups like males and obese individuals.

Contribution

This study identifies uric acid as a significant and independent risk factor for NAFLD in hypertensive patients.

Findings

Uric acid levels were independently associated with NAFLD in hypertensive patients.

Specific subgroups, such as males and obese individuals, showed a stronger link between uric acid and NAFLD.

Adding uric acid to a baseline model slightly improved the prediction of NAFLD occurrence.

Abstract

Serum uric acid (UA) is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but its role in hypertensive populations remains unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated their association in 1,058 patients with hypertension. Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that UA was independently correlated with NAFLD, whether as a continuous variable or a categorical variable. According to the fully adjusted model, the risk of NAFLD increased by 0.2%, 347.2% and 91.7% for each unit increase in UA, Log10UA and LnUA, respectively (P < 0.05). Multivariate stratified analysis revealed that UA increased the risk of NAFLD in specific subgroups, including males, individuals aged 70–79 years, non-smokers, those without diabetes, and obese individuals (P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that UA could not only predict the occurrence of NAFLD but also improve the predictive value of the baseline model for NAFLD (UA, AUC: 0.588; baseline model, AUC: 0.770; baseline model + UA, AUC: 0.772). In conclusion, UA is significantly associated with NAFLD in patients with hypertension and may serve as a predictive risk indicator.

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