Uric acid is not associated with diabetic nephropathy and other complications in type 1 diabetes

Abstract Background To examine the association between plasma uric acid (UA) and the presence of diabetic complications including diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 1 diabetes. Methods This study, which is cross-sectional in design, included 676 Caucasian type 1 diabetes patients from the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen. Participants with UA within the three lowest sex-specific quartiles were compared with participants with levels in the highest quartile. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analyses were applied. Adjustment included sex, age, diabetes duration, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, haemoglobin A1c, 24-h pulse pressure, urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and treatment with renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system blockers. Results Of the 676 patients, 372 (55%) were male, mean ± SD age was 55 ± 13 years and eGFR was 82 ± 26 mL/min/1.73 m2. The median UA was 0.30 (interquartile range 0.23–0.37) mmol/L. UA in the upper sex-specific quartile was associated with lower eGFR, higher UAER and carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity and lower 24 h and daytime diastolic blood pressure (BP) in unadjusted analyses (P