Aim: We aimed to examine sex-specific risk factors for hyperuricemia or gout in Japanese cohorts.
Methods: We followed up 3,188 men (mean age, 55.6 years) and 6,346 women (mean age, 54.1 years) without hyperuricemia, gout, or elevated liver enzymes at baseline from 1986 to 1990 for a median of 14.6 years. The participants were considered as having hyperuricemia or gout if their serum uric acid levels were ≥ 7.0 mg/dL or they were receiving treatment for hyperuricemia or gout during annual health checkups. The sex-specific multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) of hyperuricemia or gout incidence were calculated after adjustment for smoking and drinking status, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia using the Cox proportional-hazard model.
Results: During follow-up, 733 men and 355 women had hyperuricemia or gout. Among men, the multivariable HRs (95% confidence intervals) of hyperuricemia or gout were 1.23 (1.00-1.52) and 1.41 (1.13-1.75) for drinkers of ＜46 and ≥ 46 g ethanol/day, respectively, compared with non-drinkers; 1.00 (0.81-1.24) and 1.18 (0.93-1.50) for smokers of 1-19 and ≥ 20 cigarettes/day, respectively, compared with never smokers; and 1.41 (1.20-1.65) for hypertensive compared with non-hypertensive participants. The HRs for women were 1.02 (0.70-1.48), 1.66 (1.05-2.63), and 1.12 (0.88-1.42) for current drinkers, current smokers, and hypertensive participants, respectively. For both men and women, body mass index, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia were not associated with hyperuricemia or gout incidence.
Conclusions: Hypertension and alcohol drinking are risk factors for hyperuricemia or gout among men and smoking among women.
Keywords: Cohort study; Epidemiology; Risk factor; Uric acid.