Significance of serum uric acid level in prediabetic and diabetic patients

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Research has shown strong links between uric acid (UA) levels and medical conditions that are related to insulin resistance, which increases the chance of acquiring diabetes, though discrepancies in result have also been reported. Aim: This study aims to investigate the role of UA in diabetic and prediabetic subjects and compare them with euglycemic control. Methods: In this hospital-based comparative cross-section study, 220 subjects were enrolled, out of which 76 were diabetic, 74 prediabetic, and 70 euglycemic control. The male and female ratio was almost the same in the three groups. Diabetes mellitus was defined as fasting glucose ≥126mg/dl, non-fasting glucose ≥200mg/dl, or use of oral hypoglycemic medication or insulin. Around 3 ml of fasting blood samples were collected and analyzed for fasting blood glucose (FBG), and UA. Two-hour post-meal blood was collected for postprandial glucose (PPG) estimation. For comparison of variables among the group’s chi-square for categorical and student’s t-test, Mann Whitney U and analysis of variance for continuous data were applied. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships between variables. The p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean age of the diabetic, prediabetic, and euglycemic control was 56.16 ± 12.58 years, 53.69 ± 14.92 years, and 48.97 ± 14.74 years, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.009). The mean UA level was also statistically different in the three groups (p = 0.010), the highest level (7.50 ± 2.24 mg/dl) in diabetic patients and lowest level (6.44 ± 2.06 mg/dl) in euglycemic control. There was a positive and significant correlation between UA and FBG, PPG (r = 0.253, p =0.002; r = 0.134, p = 0.048) in the participants. Conclusion: We observed a significant association of UA in diabetic, prediabetic, and euglycemic control; however, it is not associated with the outcome of diabetes.