Neck circumference is associated with hyperuricemia: a cross-sectional study

Background/objective: Neck circumference (NC) is associated with metabolic abnormalities, independent of other obesity indices. However, data are limited regarding the potential relation between NC and serum uric acid (UA) concentrations. Therefore, we evaluated the cross-sectional association between NC and UA concentration, and odds of having hyperuricemia in a community-based cohort. Subjects and methods: The current study included 87,782 participants (16,317 women and 71,465 men, 52.2 ± 14.1 y) of the Kailuan Study. NC and UA concentration were measured in 2014. We used generalized linear model to investigate the association between NC and serum UA concentration and logistic regression model to investigate the association between NC and likelihood of having hyperuricemia (≥ 7 mg/dl in men and ≥ 6 mg/dl in women), adjusting for demographic factor, anthropometric indices, plasma lipid profiles, blood glucose, blood pressure, physical exercise, snoring, smoking, diet quality, and alcohol consumption. Results: Higher NC was associated with higher serum UA concentration, and higher odds of hyperuricemia in both men and women after adjusting for potential confounders (both p < 0.001). Each additional 5-cm increase in NC was associated with 6% higher likelihood of having hyperuricemia (adjusted OR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.02, 1.1) in men and 17% in women (adjusted OR = 1.17; 95% CI 1.06, 1.28) (p interaction = 0.01). Similar pattern was observed after excluding participants who reported use of anti-hypertensive drugs, participants with obesity or higher waist circumference, and participants with history of gout and chronic kidney diseases. Conclusions: Higher NC was associated with higher serum UA concentration and higher risk of hyperuricemia in Chinese adult population. Clinical trial number: Kailuan Study (ChiCTR-TNRC-11001489).