Serum uric acid levels and diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A dose-response meta-analysis

Objective: Our study aimed to assess the existing evidence on whether serum uric acid (SUA) levels are associated with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: We conducted a systematic search of articles up to October 2021 in Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science that estimated DKD by SUA levels in patients with T2DM. Pooled relative risks with 95% CI were calculated using random effects models Results: A total of eight cohort studies involving 25,741 T2DM patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that compared the highest with the lowest category of SUA level, the summary risk ratios were 2.04 (95%CI 1.43-2.92, P < 0.001). The linear dose-response analysis revealed that the risk of DKD increased by 24% for each 1 mg/dl increase of SUA. The non-linear dose-response analysis also showed a significant relevance between SUA and the risk of DKD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Serum uric acid is associated with an increased risk of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Serum uric acid level could be a good indicator for predicting diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Automated summary

This study assessed the association between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The findings suggest that higher SUA levels are associated with an increased risk of DKD in T2DM patients. The risk of DKD increases by 24% for each 1 mg/dl increase in SUA. These results highlight the potential of SUA as a predictor for DKD in T2DM patients.