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. 2023 May 15:10:1164096.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1164096. eCollection 2023.

Association of serum uric acid-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in American adults: a population-based analysis

Yilian Xie #  1   2 , Kai Huang #  3 , Xiangyu Zhang #  4 , Zhouxiao Wu  1   2 , Yiyi Wu  1   2 , Jinguo Chu  2   3 , Weiliang Kong  5 , Guoqing Qian  1   2
Affiliations

Association of serum uric acid-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in American adults: a population-based analysis

Yilian Xie et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Objective: Non-invasive disease indicators are currently limited and need further research due to the increased non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevalence worldwide. The serum uric acid-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR) has been recognized as a novel inflammatory and metabolic marker. Herein, we explored the correlation between UHR and the risk of NAFLD in-depth.

Methods: A total of 3,766 participants were included in our survey, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 cycle provided the cross-sectional study population. Weighted multivariable logistic regression and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to assess the association between the UHR and the odds of NAFLD and liver steatosis and fibrosis severity, respectively. Moreover, we explored the non-linear relationship between the UHR and NAFLD by the generalized additive model.

Results: NAFLD probabilities were statistically demonstrated to be positively correlated with the UHR (OR = 1.331 per SD increase, 95% CI: 1.100, 1.611). The positive connection of the UHR with NAFLD risk persisted significantly in female subjects but not in male subjects in subgroup analyses stratified by gender. The non-linear relationship analysis demonstrated that a UHR between ~20 and 30% suggested a saturation effect of NAFLD risk. Furthermore, a dramatically positive correlation was found between the UHR and hepatic steatosis severity but not fibrosis. Finally, the receiver operating characteristic analysis suggested that UHR had a better predictive value for NAFLD than either serum uric acid (sUA) or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) alone [UHR (area under curve): 0.6910; 95% CI: 0.6737-0.7083; P < 0.0001].

Conclusion: Our investigation revealed that the elevated UHR level was independently related to an increased NAFLD risk and the severity of liver steatosis in American individuals. The correlation differed according to sex. This non-invasive indicator may enhance the capacity to predict the onset of NAFLD and may uncover alternative therapeutic interventional targets.

Keywords: NAFLD; NHANES; UHR; steatosis; vibration controlled transient elastography.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow-chart of the study samples.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Associations between serum uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratioand prevalence of NAFLD. (A) Each black point represents a sample. (B) Solid redline represents the smooth curve fit between variables. Blue bands represent the 95% of confidence interval from the fit. Adjusted for: age, gender, race, hypertension, BMI, dyslipidemia drug, T2DM, smoke, physical activity, ALT, AST, AKP, GGT, TC, TG, Serum creatinine, albumin, Total bilirubin, and HbA1c. NAFLD, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; UHR, serum uric acid-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio; BMI, Body mass index; ALT, Alanine aminotransferase; AST, Aspartate aminotransferase; ALP, Alkaline phosphatase; GGT, Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase; TC, Total cholesterol; TG, Triglyceride; HbA1c, Glycosylated hemoglobin A1c; HbA1c, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ROC curves for UHR, compared to sUA and HDL alone. ROC, Receiver operating characteristic; UHR, serum uric acid-to-high-density lipoprotein.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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