The impact of uric acid on long-term mortality in patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic disease.

Background: Serum uric acid (SUA) has been discussed to be related to cardiovascular (CV) disease and outcome. We investigated whether levels of SUA predict long-term mortality in neurologically asymptomatic patients with carotid atherosclerotic disease.

Methods: We prospectively studied 959 consecutive patients with carotid atherosclerosis as evaluated by duplex Doppler sonography for all-cause and CV death, respectively.

Results: During a median follow-up time of 6.3 years (interquartile range [IQR], 5.4-7.1 years), 246 deaths (25.7%), including 160 CV deaths (16.7%), were recorded. Median baseline SUA levels were 5.9 mg/dL (IQR, 5.0-7.0 mg/dL). SUA was significantly associated with all-cause death and CV death. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for an increase of 1 mg/dL of SUA levels were 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.21; P = .003) and 1.20 (95% CI, 1.11-1.30; P < .001) for all-cause and CV death, respectively. Quartiles of SUA levels showed a significant association with CV mortality (log-rank P = .002). For CV death, adjusted HRs for quartiles of increasing SUA levels were 1.45 (95% CI, .87-2.43), 1.44 (95% CI, .85-2.46), and 2.26 (95% CI, 1.36-3.76; P < .01), compared with the lowest quartile, respectively. Patients with baseline carotid stenosis of more than 50% and/or increased levels of SUA (≥median) had an approximately 2-fold increase in risk of (CV) death, compared with patients with carotid narrowing of less than 50% and/or SUA levels less than the median (P < .001).

Conclusions: Levels of SUA represent independent predictors for CV mortality in a cohort of patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis.