Association between serum uric acid level and bone mineral density at multiple skeletal sites in middle-aged and elderly men: a cross-sectional study of a healthy population in Taiwan.

UNLABELLED: This study revealed that serum uric acid (sUA) levels were not associated with bone mineral density (BMD) at different skeletal sites in middle-aged and elderly men, even adjusting for confounding variables. Nevertheless, a positive association was only found between sUA levels and BMD at all skeletal sites in the normal BMI group.

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies have reported an association between serum uric acid (sUA) levels and bone mineral density (BMD). However, their findings are controversial and limited to adult men in the general population. This study was aimed at examining the association between sUA levels and BMD at multiple skeletal sites in middle-aged and elderly men.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis of BMD at different skeletal sites and sUA levels was conducted on 918 men (age: 50.83 ± 7.95) using data from the Ditmanson Research Database. The participants were categorized into four groups based on quartiles of the sUA level, and BMD were assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multivariate linear regression models were utilized to investigate the association between sUA levels and BMD. Further, subgroup analyses were performed.

RESULTS

After adjusting for potential confounding factors, sUA as a continuous variable was significantly associated with BMD at the femoral neck only (β, 95% confidence interval: 0.007 [0.001-0.013]). However, in the categorical analysis, no significant differences were detected in terms of BMD at different skeletal sites across the different sUA quartile groups. Moreover, if the body mass index (BMI) was < 24 kg/m2 for each unit increase in sUA level, the spine, femoral neck, and total hip BMD increased by 0.014, 0.013, and 0.015 g/cm2, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The sUA level was not associated with BMD at different skeletal sites in middle-aged and elderly men. Nevertheless, a positive association was only found between sUA levels and BMD at all skeletal sites in the normal weight group.