Young Seok Cho1, Ji Hoon Bae1, Seung Hwan Moon1, Seung Hyup Hyun1, Joon Young Choi1, Byung-Tae Kim1, Kyung-Han Lee2. 1. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Republic of Korea. 2. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710, Republic of Korea. khnm.lee@samsung.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association of serum uric acid (UA) with carotid fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake as a marker of inflammatory atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this cross-sectional retrospective study of 970 otherwise healthy adults, subjects in the greater serum UA quartiles had higher triglyceride (P < .001), lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < .05), and lower estimated GFR (P < .001). Mean and maximum Target-to-background ratios (TBRs) of carotid FDG uptake measured by positron emission tomography were significantly increased across greater serum UA quartiles (1.35 and 1.57 for Q1, 1.38 and 1.60 for Q2, 1.39 and 1.62 for Q3, and 1.39 and 1.61 for Q4; P = .001 and < .001). Carotid intima-media thickness was not different. Serum UA showed weak but significant correlations with estimated GFR (P < .001), and with mean (P < .001) and maximum carotid TBR (P = .004). Serum UA correlated with mean TBR in male (P = .008) and female subjects (P = .011), in high (≥ 70; P = .015) and low estimated GFR (< 70; P = .035), and in normotensive (P = .001) but not in hypertensive subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum UA in asymptomatic adults is associated with increased carotid FDG uptake, which suggests a potential role of UA in carotid inflammatory atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association of serum uric acid (UA) with carotid fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake as a marker of inflammatory atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this cross-sectional retrospective study of 970 otherwise healthy adults, subjects in the greater serum UA quartiles had higher triglyceride (P < .001), lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < .05), and lower estimated GFR (P < .001). Mean and maximum Target-to-background ratios (TBRs) of carotid FDG uptake measured by positron emission tomography were significantly increased across greater serum UA quartiles (1.35 and 1.57 for Q1, 1.38 and 1.60 for Q2, 1.39 and 1.62 for Q3, and 1.39 and 1.61 for Q4; P = .001 and < .001). Carotid intima-media thickness was not different. Serum UA showed weak but significant correlations with estimated GFR (P < .001), and with mean (P < .001) and maximum carotid TBR (P = .004). Serum UA correlated with mean TBR in male (P = .008) and female subjects (P = .011), in high (≥ 70; P = .015) and low estimated GFR (< 70; P = .035), and in normotensive (P = .001) but not in hypertensive subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum UA in asymptomatic adults is associated with increased carotid FDG uptake, which suggests a potential role of UA in carotid inflammatory atherosclerosis.