Abstract
We conducted a longitudinal study to investigate whether increased serum gamma-glutamyltransferase
independently predicts subsequent development of hyperuricemia. The study participants
included 3 310 Japanese men without hyperuricemia, aged 20–54 years. The participants
had annual heath examinations for 6 years to assess incident hyperuricemia (defined
as serum uric acid>416.4 μmol/l and/or taking medication for hyperuricemia). The risk
of incident hyperuricemia was compared in participants grouped according to their
baseline serum gamma-glutamyltransferase level. During follow-up, there were 529 incident
cases of hyperuricemia. A positive, dose-response relationship was observed between
serum gamma-glutamyltransferase and the risk of incident hyperuricemia. The hazard
ratios (95% confidence intervals) for hyperuricemia, compared with a serum gamma-glutamyltransferase
level≤19 U/l, were 1.32 (1.05–1.67) for 20–39 U/l, 1.28 (0.90–1.83) for 40–59 U/l,
1.56 (0.98–2.47) for 60–79 U/l, and 1.57 (1.02–2.41) for ≥80 U/l after adjustment
for baseline serum uric acid, creatinine, total cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin
levels, ln(serum alanine aminotransferase), age, systolic blood pressure, medications
for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes, body mass index, and smoking
and exercise habits. A similar positive relationship was observed regardless of the
presence or absence of alcohol drinking, obesity, metabolic disorders (any combination
of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and/or diabetes), or clinically high serum aminotransferases,
without evidence of a significant interaction between increased serum gamma-glutamyltransferase
and risk factors for incident hyperuricemia. These findings indicate that increased
serum gamma-glutamyltransferase is an independent predictor of subsequent development
of hyperuricemia.
Key words
gamma-glutamyltransferase - aspartate aminotransferase - alanine aminotransferase
- hyperuricemia - epidemiology
