The Relationship Between Serum Uric Acid Concentration and Metabolic Syndrome in University Freshmen

Background: Serum uric acid (SUA) level is often elevated in participants with metabolic syndrome (MS), and hyperuricemia appears linked inextricably to the presence of MS. Purpose: Aims of this study included conducting a comparison of SUA concentrations in university students with and without MS and exploring the relationship between hyperuricemia and MS. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,096 freshmen students, who received a health examination at a university. Data were collected on demographics, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and lipid profile. Criteria used in this study for MS and hyperuricemia were those published by the Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health, Taiwan, ROC, and in Taiwan's Nutritional and Health Survey. Results: The prevalence of hyperuricemia and MS in all participants was 16.97% and 8.10%, respectively. The prevalence of both was significantly higher in male than in female participants. Covariance analysis showed that SUA levels were significantly higher in participants with MS than in those without, after adjusting for confounding variables. The components of MS increased significantly with increased SUA levels. Participants with hyperuricemia faced a higher risk of MS than did those with normal SUA levels. In terms of MS analysis components, male participants with hyperuricemia faced higher risks of abdominal obesity and hypertension than did their peers with normal SUA concentrations, and female participants with hyperuricemia faced higher risks of abdominal obesity, hypertension, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Hyperuricemia may trigger certain health problems and has been positively related with MS. To improve these concurrent conditions, school nurses should make use of education resources to develop optimal intervention strategies to facilitate effective lifestyle changes in students and reduce the incidence of MS and hyperudicemia.