Clinical and dietary risk factors of hyperuricemia in Korean children and adolescents: the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: The global prevalence of hyperuricemia is steadily increasing, and reports indicate an upward trend in children and adolescents. Using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), this study aimed to examine the association of dietary factors with hyperuricemia among Korean children and adolescents in addition to known other risk factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,268 participants aged 10 to 18 years from the eighth KNHANES 2019-2021. Dietary information was collected using a single 24-hour recall method. The associations among serum uric acid and intake of total energy, protein, fat, sodium, and sugar were analyzed using multiple regression analysis adjusting for confounding variables (age, sex, blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], body mass index, and hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]).

Results: From the 1,268 participants (median age, 13 years; male, 56%), 150 (11.8%) had hyperuricemia. In multiple regression analysis, higher sugar intake was independently associated with hyperuricemia (odds ratio [OR], 1.79; p = 0.01) in addition to obesity (OR, 5.5; p < 0.001), age of 13 to 15 years (OR, 2.02; p = 0.002), higher HbA1c (OR, 1.6; p = 0.04), and lower eGFR (eGFR ≥75 and <90 mL/min/1.73 m2: OR, 1.63 [p = 0.01]; eGFR <75 mL/min/1.73 m2: OR, 3.42 [p = 0.002]).

Conclusion: The results revealed that the increasing prevalence of hyperuricemia in Korean children and adolescents, and pubertal age, obesity, decreased kidney function, prediabetic state, and high sugar intake are associated with the risk of hyperuricemia in Korean children and adolescents.