Association of hyperuricemia and gamma glutamyl transferase as a marker of metabolic risk in alcohol use disorder

Excessive alcohol consumption leads to overproduction of urates and renal function plays a critical role in serum uric acid levels. We aimed to assess associations of hyperuricemia in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comparable Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). A total of 686 patients undergoing treatment for AUD between 2013 and 2017 were eligible (77% men); age at admission was 47 years [interquartile range (IQR), 40–53 years], age of onset of alcohol consumption was 16 years [IQR, 16–18 years] and the amount of alcohol consumed was 160 g/day [IQR, 120–240 g/day]. Body Mass Index was 24.7 kg/m(2) [IQR, 21.9–28.4 kg/m(2)], eGFR was 105 mL/min/1.73 m(2) [IQR, 95.7–113.0 mL], 9.7% had metabolic syndrome and 23% had advanced liver fibrosis (FIB-4 > 3.25). Prevalence of hyperuricemia was 12.5%. The eGFR-adjusted multivariate analysis showed that relative to patients with GGT ≤ 50, those with GGT between 51 and 300 U/L and those with GGT > 300 U/L were 4.31 (95% CI 1.62–11.46) and 10.3 (95% CI 3.50–29.90) times more likely to have hyperuricemia, respectively. Our data shows that hyperuricemia in the context of AUD is strongly associated with serum GGT levels and suggest an increased cardio-metabolic risk in this population.