Associations between serum uric acid levels and the incidence of nonfatal stroke: a nationwide community-based cohort study

Background: Hyperuricemia is an established risk factor for cardiovascular events and mortality. This study investigated the association between serum uric acid and the incidence of nonfatal stroke in a Japanese community-based population. Methods: We used a nationwide database of 155,322 subjects (aged 40–73, male 39 %) who participated in the annual “Specific Health Check and Guidance in Japan” checkup from 2008 to 2010. We examined the relationship between the quintiles of serum uric acid levels at baseline and the incidence of nonfatal stroke during a 2-year study period using self-reported data. Results: The crude incidence of nonfatal stroke was significantly associated with serum uric acid levels at baseline, showing the lowest values in subjects with the 3rd quintile (Q3: men, 5.0–5.6; women, 3.8–4.3) of uric acid levels (mg/dL) and the highest values in subjects with the highest quintile (Q5: men ≥7.1, women ≥5.5) both in men and women (P < 0.05). In multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of the Q5 group was significantly higher than for the Q3 group in both men and women [men: OR 1.26, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.54, women: OR 1.24, 95 % CI 1.00–1.48]. In the subgroup analysis, the OR of the Q5 group of uric acid levels for incident stroke was high, irrespective of characteristics such as age, sex, and renal function. Conclusions: This study has shown that serum uric acid is independently associated with the incidence of nonfatal stroke in the general Japanese population.