Serum Uric Acid Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Is There a Linear Relationship with Severity of Carotid Atherosclerosis?

AIMS: The aim of this study was to correlate serum uric acid (SUA) levels and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was a cross-sectional observational study on 103 diabetic patients conducted from September 2015 to May 2017. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We screened 103 patients with type 2 DM between the ages of 30–65 years. SUA levels and the CIMT were measured. The patients were divided into quartiles based on uric acid level. The CIMT of the quartiles is compared and analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-squared test, Analysis of Variance, and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: Uric acid levels were positively associated with CIMT (P = 0.001). The association remained significant after further adjustment for potential confounders. Strong correlation was found among them as depicted by correlation coefficient (r = 0.779). CONCLUSIONS: Carotid atherosclerosis as measured by IMT is associated with SUA levels in patients with type 2 DM.