Correlation between hyperuricemia and lipid profile in untreated dyslipidemic patients

There are a number of epidemiological studies that suggest the association of cardiovascular diseases and uric acid but very few studies highlight the direct association of deranged lipid profile with uric acid levels. The present study was  indented to find out if any association exists between hyperuricemia and dyslipidemia. Blood samples were collected from healthy controls (n=70) and patients with dyslipidemia (n=70) who were not receiving any treatment for  dyslipidemia. These samples were processed for estimating lipid profile and uric acid levels. The parameters in the two groups were compared. Correlation between different parameters was calculated by Pearson correlation analysis in both the groups. Uric acid levels (6.40 ± 1.27 vs 4.89 ± 0.21 mg/dl, P<0.001) were significantly higher in patients as compared to those in controls. There was significant increase in the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TAGs), LDL-C, VLDL-C, non-HDL cholesterol (P<0.001 in each case), in patients of dyslipidemia. However, significant decrease in the levels of HDL-C (P<0.001) was seen in patients compared to controls. LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (P<0.001), TC/HDL-C ratio (P<0.001) and TAG/HDL-C ratio (P<0.001) were also significantly increased in dyslipidemic subjects when compared to controls. Uric acid had significant  correlations with TC (r=0.334, P<0.001), TAGs (r = 0.288, P<0.001), LDL-C (r = 0.241, P<0.001), VLDL-C (r= 0.158, P<0.001) and HDL-C (r= –0.652, P<0.001) in patients. Results of this study imply that there is higher association of  hyperuricemia in dyslipidemic patients than normal subjects. Therefore treatment of underlying hyperuricemia should be an important aspect in planning the treatment strategy for dyslipidemia to reduce the cardiovascular morbidity. Keywords : Cardiovascular disease; Coronary artery disease; Dyslipidemia; Hyperuricemia; Lipid ratio