High Serum Uric Acid Levels Are Associated with All-Cause and Cardiovascular, but Not Cancer, Mortality in Elderly Adults

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risks associated with serum uric acid levels in elderly adults. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: The Annual Geriatric Health Examination Program database from 2006 to 2010. PATICIPANTS: Community-dwelling Taipei citizens aged 65 and older (N = 77,541). MEASUREMENTS: Stratified according to sex, serum uric acid levels were analyzed in quartiles and as normal versus high categories. Mortality was determined by matching cohort identifications with national death files. RESULTS: Men had significantly higher uric acid levels than women (P < .001), and mean levels increased with age (P < .001). Serum uric acid levels (normal vs high) were an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in men and women, with the strongest association found for cardiovascular mortality. The association between serum uric acid levels and cardiovascular mortality was independent of other cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and glomerular filtration rate levels. When levels were analyzed as quartiles, men with levels in the second quartile had the lowest hazard ratios for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSION: High serum uric acid levels are associated with greater risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality but not cancer mortality in elderly adults. Further studies are warranted to investigate the prognostic implications and potential utility in the monitoring of therapy.