Serum Uric Acid and the Progression of Carotid Atherosclerosis: Association in a 10-year Chinese Cohort Study of a Health Check-up Population with Normal Uric Acid Levels

Background It is considered that serum uric acid (SUA), which may induce oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction, has a potential association with atherosclerosis, but it has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the association of high normal SUA level with the progression of carotid atherosclerosis. Methods A retrospective cohort design was used. Participants (n=7 074) were individuals who received two or more times of health examinations in Physical Examination Center, Hebei General Hospital from 2010 to 2019. All of them had no carotid atherosclerosis with normal SUA levels〔classified into quartiles of SUA: quartile 1 (n=1 794), quartile 2 (n=1 752), quartile 3 (n=1 785) and quartile 4 (n=1 743) 〕 at the enrolment. General information, physical examination, laboratory test indicators and carotid ultrasound indicators were collected. A follow-up was conducted with them until December 2019 with the prevalence of progression of carotid atherosclerosis〔defined as carotid intima-medi