Hyperuricemia Associated with Low Skeletal Muscle in the Middle-Aged and Elderly Population in China

Background Previous studies have presented inconsistent results on the relationship between serum uric acid and skeletal muscle mass (SMM). We aimed to explore whether a higher serum uric acid level was associated with low SMM in the Chinese population. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 6595 subjects aged 45 years or older. They were tested for fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. SMM was accessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry using two approaches: weight-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM)% and ASM/BMI (body mass index (kg/m2)). Low SMM was defined as a cut-off point of ASM/BMI Results Compared with their normal group, patients with hyperuricemia had lower ASM% (29.33±2.33 vs 30.03±2.34 for males and 24.71±1.99 vs 25.19±2.07 for females, P Conclusions In a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population, hyperuricemia is independently and positively associated with low SMM and can vary by age and gender.