Elevated serum uric acid is a risk factor for progression to prediabetes in Japanese women: A 5‐year retrospective chort study

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The association between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and prediabetes risk remains poorly understood. The aim of this longitudinal retrospective study was to evaluate the association between SUA levels and prediabetes progression in Japanese individuals through sex‐specific analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 20,743 participants (11,916 men and 8,827 women) who underwent annual medical health checkups in 2017 (baseline) and 2022. None of the participants had diabetes and prediabetes or were taking SUA‐lowering medications at baseline. Participants were divided into four groups according to the quartiles of SUA levels at baseline. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression analysis was conducted to examine the risk of prediabetes progression. In addition, multivariate restricted cubic spline analysis was conducted to investigate the dose–response risk. RESULTS: In women, compared with the lowest SUA quartile (Q1) group, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of prediabetes in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups were 1.03 (0.86–1.25), 1.41 (1.18–1.68), and 1.55 (1.30–1.84), respectively. However, in men, no significant association in the risk of prediabetes was found across quartiles of SUA. Furthermore, in women, restricted cubic spline analysis revealed the dose–response relationship between SUA and progression to prediabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that elevated serum SUA levels might be positively and independently associated with an increased risk of progression to prediabetes in Japanese women.