Korean J Fam Pract.  2023 Sep;13(3):165-170. 10.21215/kjfp.2023.13.3.165.

Relationship between Serum Ferritin Levels and Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia in Adult Males: Using Data from Medical Examinations of One University Hospital Health Examination Center (2020)

• Kang SJ
• Oh JE
• Cho YJ
• Shin HS
• Yoo BW
• Hong SH
• Joe H
• Son DY
• Shin KS

• KMID: 2546232
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2023.13.3.165

Abstract

Background
Serum ferritin levels can be used as an auxiliary indicator of inflammation. In addition, gout is an inflammatory disease whose risk increases with increasing uric acid levels. This study investigated the association between ferritin levels and asymptomatic hyperuricemia.
Methods
A total of 13,570 patients who underwent medical examinations at a university hospital health examination Center, Korea between January 2020 and December 2020 were enrolled. After excluding women and patients already receiving treatment for gout and chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, autoimmune diseases, and malignant tumors, the final data were collected from 2,833 patients.
Results
Based on the distribution of ferritin, the subjects were divided into quartiles (25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th percentiles) and evaluated. The unadjusted odds ratios by ferritin quartiles were 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–1.72), 1.69 (95% CI, 1.33–2.15), and 2.77 (95% CI, 2.19–3.50) for each quartile compared to the first quartile. The odds ratio after adjusting for confounding variables such as age, body mass index, waist circumference, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking status was 1.20 (95% CI, 0.93–1.55), 1.40 (95% CI, 1.09–1.79), and 2.15 (95% CI, 1.68– 2.75) for each quartile compared to the first quartile.
Conclusion
Hyperuricemia was significantly associated with high serum ferritin levels in adult males.

Keyword

Ferritin; Hyperuricemia; Body Mass Index; Exercise; Alcoholic Beverages; Smoking