Background: Hyperuricemia is associated with cardiovascular mortality, but the association of the age at hyperuricemia onset with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality is still unclear.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of hyperuricemia onset age with CVD and all-cause mortality.
Methods: A total of 82,219 participants free of hyperuricemia and CVD from 2006 to 2015 in the Kailuan study were included. The analysis cohort comprised 18,311 new-onset hyperuricemia patients and controls matched for age and sex from the general population. Adjusted associations were estimated using Cox models for CVD and all-cause mortality across a range of ages.
Results: There were 1,021 incident cases of CVD (including 215 myocardial infarctions, 814 strokes) and 1459 deaths during an average of 5.2 years of follow-up. Patients with hyperuricemia onset at an age < 45 years had the highest hazard ratios (HRs) (1.78 (1.14-2.78) for CVD and 1.64 (1.04-2.61) for all-cause mortality relative to controls). The HRs of CVD and all-cause mortality were 1.32 (1.05-1.65) and 1.40 (1.08-1.81) for the 45-54 years age group, 1.23 (0.97-1.56) and 1.37 (1.11 to 1.72) for the 55-64 years age group, and 1.10 (0.88-1.39) and 0.88 (0.76-1.01) for the ≥ 65 years age group, respectively.
Conclusions: The age at hyperuricemia onset was identified as an important predictor of CVD and all-cause mortality risk, and the prediction was more powerful in those with a younger age of hyperuricemia onset. Early onset of hyperuricemia is associated with increased cardiovascular disease and mortality risk.
Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Early-onset hyperuricemia; Mortality risk.