Screening of Serum Uric Acid in Obese Individuals in Rural Population

Introduction: Uric acid is a metabolic product of exogenous (brought in with food) or endogenous purine bases. Since uric acid is found in human serum in relatively low concentrations (reference range is 0.21 to 0.42 mmol/L in men and 0.16 to 0.36 mmol/L in women) it is necessary to use specific and sensitive methods for its determination in visceral individuals including obese persons. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate serum uric acid level in among obese individuals attending a medical college hospital. Methods: An observational study was designed to study 240 subjects, aged 20 to 50 years. The study included 120 apparently healthy obese individuals with Body Mass Index of >= 25 and Waist Circumference more than 80 cm and 90 cm in females and males respectively. Another 120 individuals with body mass index <= 25, waist circumference less than 80 cm and 90 cm in females and males respectively enrolled as controls. Uric acid was measured in serum. Data were analyzed statistically using statistical package for the social sciences version 17. Results: The mean value of serum uric acid in obese men and women were 7.57 mg/dl and 6.19 mg/dl which was higher than the mean of control group 4.17 mg/dl (males) and 4.10 mg/dl (females). Conclusion: Serum uric acid was elevated in obese individuals indicating the marker for metabolic syndrome. However further studies are suggested with large number of samples to confirm or refute the present observation.