Association of exposure duration, modality, and polycythaemia with hyperuricaemia among han male immigrants at high altitudes: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Hyperuricaemia is associated with increased metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and mortality risk in the adult population and is more common in plateau areas. Han male immigrants are a high-risk population and deserve more attention. The correlations between different altitude exposure durations and exposure modalities with hyperuricaemia have not yet been reported.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, qualified subjects were selected from two units on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and underwent a questionnaire survey (age, altitude exposure time, altitude exposure form), anthropometric measurements (body mass index [BMI], blood pressure [BP], and heart rate [HR]), and laboratory tests (white blood cell count [WBC], haemoglobin [HB], platelet count [PLT], and serum uric acid [SUA]). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to detect factors associated with hyperuricaemia.

Results: The overall prevalence of hyperuricaemia was 40.8% (73 cases) among 179 Han male immigrants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hyperuricaemia was significantly related to altitude exposure time (OR 6.744, 95% CI 1.263-36.019), altitude exposure form (OR 2.580, 95% CI 1.068-6.231) and high-altitude polycythaemia (OR 2.125, 95% CI 1.011-4.465).

Conclusion: High-altitude polycythaemia, exposure to high altitudes for 1-5 years, and long-term exposure to the same high-altitude areas when the high-altitude exposure dose is equal are important factors associated with hyperuricemia.