Abstract P128: The Association between Stressful Life Experiences and Hyperuricemia in Korean Adults

Background: Stressful life events (SLEs) may influence disease intensity and duration. However, the direct association between SLEs and disease manifestations are still controversial and not fully understood. Thus, we evaluated the quantitative associations between number of SLEs and hyperuricemia in a community-based cohort study in South Korea. Hypothesis: Prevalence of hyperuricemia in people with the more SLEs is higher than that in people with less SLEs. Methods: We performed cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of 1758 men and 2826 women (aged 27-87) in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study- Kangwha study (2006 to 2010). Life Experience Survey questionnaire was used to measure SLEs during the last 3 months. People who experienced at least five SLEs during the last 3 months were classified as frequent SLE group (N=413, 9.0 %). Blood samples were collected after at least 8-hour fast. Hyperuircemia is defined as serum uric acid level ≥ 6.0 mg/dL in men, and ≥ 7.0 mg/dL in women. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess independent association between SLEs and hyperuricemia. Results: Frequent SLE group had a significantly higher prevalence of hyperuricemia than those who were not (10.9 % versus 5.4 %) : odds ratio (95% CI) was 2.32 (1.59-3.38) when adjusted for age, sex, body weight, blood pressure, pulse rate, serum total billirubin, leukocyte count, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. The association was similar in men (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.45-3.25) and women (OR 3.80, 95%CI 1.38-10.43). Conclusion: These findings suggest that recently experienced SLEs are positively associated with hyperuricemia.