BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Recent studies suggest that uric acid (UA) is a mediator of diabetic nephropathy. We hypothesized that serum UA would associate with the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and that this relationship would differ by sex. METHODS: We examined 120 young boys and the same number of girls with T1D. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), UA, cystatin C serum concentrations, albumin excretion rate and blood pressure were also analyzed. RESULTS: T1D boys had higher serum UA and creatinine concentration, as well as albumin excretion rate and estimated glomerular filtration rate than T1D girls. Moreover, newly diagnosed nephropathy was more common in male subjects in comparison to female patients. Only in T1D boys serum UA was positively correlated with concentrations of subclinical inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α), the indicators of renal function (albumin excretion rate, serum cystatin C level), blood pressure and negatively correlated with anti-inflammatory IL-10. In addition, only in T1D girls serum UA concentration was negatively correlated with hemoglobin A1c. CONCLUSIONS: Serum UA is associated with nephropathy prevalence, albeit only in boys with T1D and may be an important risk factor for predicting diabetes-related cardiorenal complications in these patients.
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Recent studies suggest that uric acid (UA) is a mediator of diabetic nephropathy. We hypothesized that serum UA would associate with the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and that this relationship would differ by sex. METHODS: We examined 120 young boys and the same number of girls with T1D. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), UA, cystatin C serum concentrations, albumin excretion rate and blood pressure were also analyzed. RESULTS: T1D boys had higher serum UA and creatinine concentration, as well as albumin excretion rate and estimated glomerular filtration rate than T1D girls. Moreover, newly diagnosed nephropathy was more common in male subjects in comparison to female patients. Only in T1D boys serum UA was positively correlated with concentrations of subclinical inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α), the indicators of renal function (albumin excretion rate, serum cystatin C level), blood pressure and negatively correlated with anti-inflammatory IL-10. In addition, only in T1D girls serum UA concentration was negatively correlated with hemoglobin A1c. CONCLUSIONS: Serum UA is associated with nephropathy prevalence, albeit only in boys with T1D and may be an important risk factor for predicting diabetes-related cardiorenal complications in these patients.