Hyperuricemia and shift work: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective. Update the available scientific evidence on the association between shift work and the appearance of hyperuricemia in workers. Methods: The PICOS strategy was used to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies found in Pubmed, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases which were published between January 2009 and September 2019 in English or Spanish. We used the CASPe and PRISMA-P 2015 systematic review analysis tools. Study quality was assessed using the STROBE and CONSORT statements. The GRADE-Pro tool was used to evaluate the evidence and the quantitative synthesis was produced with RevMan. Results: Eight articles were used for the review and five for the meta-analysis. The average difference in uric acid between shift work and non-shift work was not significant. The meta-analysis showed an overall mean difference of -0.04 95% CI (-0.11, 0.04) p=0.32. The heterogeneity of the analysis was low (I2= 40%) p=0.15. Conclusions: Evidence from the results shows that shift work is not associated with hyperuricemia. However, more research with greater control of bias is needed to support the results found.