Association between diabetes duration and hyperuricemia: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016 to 2021.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We examined the association between diabetes duration and hyperuricemia in Korean subjects based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 4,575 subjects aged 30 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on data from the KNHANES from 2016 to 2021. Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid level ≥ 7.0 mg/dL. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

The mean age of subjects was 61.0 years, 56.5% were male, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.6 kg/m2. Compared to those with diabetes duration 5 to < 10 years, those with shorter or longer diabetes duration had higher serum uric acid levels and higher prevalence of hyperuricemia. In multivariable logistic regression models, a U-shaped association between diabetes duration and hyperuricemia was observed after adjusting for age, sex, income, smoking status, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, and presence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, or chronic kidney disease. Compared to those with new-onset diabetes mellitus, the adjusted OR (95% CI) for hyperuricemia was 0.55 (0.38-0.82) in those with diabetes duration 5 to < 10 years. The results were consistent in subgroup analysis according to age, sex, BMI, and chronic kidney disease.

CONCLUSION

The U-shaped association between diabetes duration and hyperuricemia was observed in a representative sample of Korean adults.