Relationships Between Serum Uric Acid, Adiponectin and Arterial Stiffness in Postmenopausal Women

Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in postmenopausal women. Elevated serum uric acid levels, hypoadiponectinemia and arterial stiffness are strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the relationships among uric acid, adiponectin and arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women.

Study Design: 9555 subjects who had the routine health check-ups, 841 postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older who had not had a menstrual period for more than 12 consecutive months were included in this study.

Main Outcome Measures: BMI, WC, and serum concentrations of uric acid, adiponectin, glucose, lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol) were measured. Insulin resistance was estimated by the insulin resistance index of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was evaluated to assess arterial stiffness.

Results: The subjects were stratified into three groups according to uric acid values. PWV values gradually increased and adiponectin level decreased with uric acid tertiles. Serum uric acid levels in postmenopausal women correlated significantly with age, BMI, WC, TG, HDL-C, insulin, HOMA-IR, adiponectin and PWV. Multiple regression analysis showed that WC (β=0.141, P<0.01), HOMA (β=0.137, P<0.01), adiponectin (β=-0.104, P<0.01), and PWV (β=0.129, P<0.01) were independently correlated with uric acid levels. In multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for risk factors, uric acid was a significant contributor to increased PWV.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that serum uric acid is independently associated with adiponectin and arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women.