The relationship between uric acid variability and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between uric acid variability and cardiovascular risk factors, primarily albuminuria and blood lipids, in patients with diabetes. Material and Method: Data from 174 patients with diabetes whose biochemical parameters were examined at least once a year were collected over the course of five years of regular follow-up. The five-year averages and standard deviations of each parameter for each person were calculated. The adjusted standard deviation for each parameter was considered as a measure of individual variability. The patients were divided into two groups according to the median of the mean uric acid and the median of the adjusted standard deviation of uric acid. Results: Between low and high uric acid variability groups, while there was no statistically significant difference for the mean values of following parameters, there was a difference in the variability of glucose (p=0.010), HbA1c (p=0.016), total cholesterol (p=0.008), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (p=0.002). Moreover, there was difference in mean albuminuria (p= 0.019), albuminuria variability (p=0.040), mean triglyceride (p=0.011), triglyceride variability (p=0.018), and mean high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol cholesterol (p=0.008). Conclusion: Clinicians should pay attention to uric acid variability in addition to basal uric acid levels since it is associated with albuminuria, an atherogenic lipid profile, renal functions, and the variability of these parameters, independent of HbA1c and glucose levels.