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Association of serum uric acid levels with osteoporosis and bone turnover markers in a Chinese population

Dan-dan YAN1, Jie WANG1,2, Xu-hong HOU1, Yu-qian BAO1, Zhen-lin ZHANG2, Cheng HU1,3, Wei-ping JIA1
1 Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Diabetes Mellitus, Shanghai Clinical Center for Diabetes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai 200233, China
2 Department of Osteoporosis, Metabolic Bone Disease and Genetic Research Unit, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai 200233, China
3 Institute for Metabolic Disease, Fengxian Central Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Shanghai 201499, China
Correspondence to: Zhen-lin ZHANG: zzl2002@medmail.com.cn, Cheng HU: alfredhc@sjtu.edu.cn,
DOI: 10.1038/aps.2017.165
Received: 14 December 2017
Accepted: 13 June 2017
Advance online: 11 September 2017

Abstract

Abstract
Recent evidence shows that uric acid is protective against some neurological diseases, but can be detrimental in many metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. In this study, we examined the association between serum uric acid levels and bone metabolism in Chinese males and postmenopausal females. A total of 943 males and 4256 postmenopausal females were recruited in Shanghai. The levels of serum uric acid and bone turnover markers (BTMs) were detected along with other biochemical traits. In addition, the fat distribution was calculated through MRI and image analysis software, and bone mineral density (BMD) was determined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. For postmenopausal females, the prevalence of osteoporosis was significantly lower in the hyperuricemia group compared with the normouricemic group (P=4.65E-06). In females, serum uric acid level was significantly associated with osteoporosis, with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.844 [0.763; 0.933] (P=0.0009) after adjusting for age, body mass index, HbA1c, lean mass, visceral and subcutaneous fat areas, albumin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3], and parathyroid hormone (PTH). In females, serum uric acid level was positively correlated with the BMD of the femoral neck (β±SE: 0.0463±0.0161; P=0.0042), total hip (β±SE: 0.0433±0.0149; P=0.0038) and L1-4 (β±SE: 0.0628±0.0165; P=0.0001) after further adjusting for age, BMI, HbA1c, lean mass, VFA, SFA, albumin, 25(OH)D3 and PTH. Regarding BTMs, serum uric acid level was negatively correlated with N-terminal procollagen of type I collagen (PINP) in females (β±SE: -0.1311±0.0508; P=0.0100). In summary, our results suggest that uric acid has a protective effect on bone metabolism independent of body composition in Chinese postmenopausal females.
Keywords: uric acid; osteoporosis; bone mineral density; bone turnover marker

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