Salivary uric acid as a noninvasive biomarker of metabolic syndrome

Volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65 without conditions known to affect serum uric acid levels were recruited. Height, weight, blood pressure and waist circumference were measured and a full lipid panel along with fasting blood glucose was obtained. Saliva samples were collected and uric acid levels were determined. 78 volunteers, 35% of whom had metabolic syndrome, completed the study. SUA was significantly elevated in patients with metabolic syndrome (p=.002). The incidence of metabolic syndrome in the 4th quartile for SUA was 67% compared to 25% in quartiles1-3 combined. Significant correlations were seen between SUA and systolic blood pressure (r=.440, p=.000), diastolic blood pressure ( r=.304, p=.007), waist circumference (r=.332, p=.003), BMI ( r=.269, p=.018), fasting blood glucose ( r=.341, p=.002), triglycerides (r=.410, p=.000), HDL ( r=.237, p=.036) and the number of cardiometabolic risk factors present (r=0.257, p=.023).These results suggest that SUA may be a useful biomarker for noninvasive monitoring of cardiometabolic risk. Larger studies are needed to validate this approach.The impact of obesity on health outcomes can be seen in the rising incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, particularly in rural states such as West Virginia (WV). Two-thirds of adults in WV are obese or overweight and over 12% already have diabetes [1]. In addition, 7.5% of WV adults have had a heart attack compared to a national average of 4.4% [1]. Because these diseases can be prevented or delayed by lifestyle interventions, novel approaches to identifying patients at the greatest risk are needed. One tool for identifying high risk patients is screening for metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors including increased waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides (TRG), reduced high density lipoproteins (HDL), and impaired fasting blood glucose (IFG) [2]. Patients with at least three of these factors are classified as having metabolic