Elevated Uric Acid Levels More Common in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients, suggests research
A population-based cross-sectional study published in Clinical Rheumatology reveals that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to exhibit elevated uric acid levels and hyperuricemia compared to the general population. While hyperuricemia is known to be associated with gout and cardiovascular diseases, its connection to RA remains uncertain. Researchers analysed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning 1999 to 2018 to explore this potential link.
This study aimed to explore the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hyperuricemia among adults. All the data were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1997–2018) database. Linear regression, logistic regression, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to investigate the association between rheumatoid arthritis and hyperuricemia. Subgroup analysis and interaction tests were conducted to assess the influence of various subgroups on their association. Results: This study included 41,460 patients, among whom 2603 had rheumatoid arthritis.
The rheumatoid arthritis group had higher uric acid levels than the non-rheumatoid arthritis group (P < 0.001). Linear regression showed that rheumatoid arthritis was significantly related to uric acid levels among several adjusted models (all P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis also indicated the independent association between rheumatoid arthritis and hyperuricemia in a positive relationship (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant association in the subgroups of females, age ≥ 60 years, non-Hispanics, individuals with hypertension and antihypertensive drugs use, and those with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (all P < 0.05).
The interaction test showed that there was no interaction effect between baseline features and rheumatoid arthritis (all interaction P > 0.05). RCS analysis further found that the course of rheumatoid arthritis, rather than the age of diagnosis, was related to hyperuricemia (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that the association between rheumatoid arthritis and hyperuricemia was mainly observed in populations with 15–30-year course of rheumatoid arthritis (P < 0.05).
Rheumatoid arthritis was associated with hyperuricemia, and their association was still stable even after adjusting for several variables, suggesting that uric acid levels should be routinely tested to detect hyperuricemia at an early stage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Reference:
Zhao, C., Xiao, Q., Huang, W. et al. Association between rheumatoid arthritis and hyperuricemia among adults: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES data. Clin Rheumatol 44, 1759–1767 (2025).https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-025-07386-z
