Alcohol consumption and the incidence of hyperuricemia in Japanese men and women: the ISSA-CKD study

Abstract The present study investigated the relationship between alcohol consumption and the incidence of hyperuricemia separately in Japanese men and women. A total of 5,153 participants without hyperuricemia at baseline were included in the analysis. Alcohol consumption was classified into non-drinkers, occasional drinkers, and daily drinkers (average alcohol intake <22 g/day, 22-43 g/day, 44-65 g/day, or ≥66 g/day). The outcome was incident hyperuricemia (uric acid >416 μmol/L [7.0 mg/dL]). During the follow-up period, hyperuricemia was detected in 624 participants (496 men and 128 women). Increases in the incidence (per 1,000 person-years) of hyperuricemia were associated with the frequency/amount of alcohol consumed among men (33.7 for non-drinkers, 43.9 for occasional drinkers, 41.7 for <22 g/day, 60.6 for 22-43 g/day, 68.0 for 44-65 g/day, and for 92.7 ≥66 g/day; P<0.001). Similar results were observed among women (6.1 for non-drinkers, 10.3 for occasional drinkers, 8.8 for <22 g/day, 15.7 for 22-43 g/day, and 7.7 for ≥44 g/day; P=0.008). Significant differences were also observed after adjustments for potential confounders (P <0.001; in both men and women). In conclusion, the risk of developing hyperuricemia in the future was associated with the amount of alcohol consumed among Japanese men and women.