Association between serum uric acid and α-klotho protein levels in the middle-aged population

Abstract

This study investigated the association between hyperuricemia and serum klotho protein levels in a representative sample of adults in the United States. We included 11,734 adults aged 40-80 years with available data of serum klotho, uric acid, covariates related to demographics, health behavior-related variables, and medical histories. Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid level of >= 7.0 mg/dL in men and >= 6.0 mg/dL in women. The geometric mean of serum klotho was 806.5 pg/mL (95% confidence interval: 801.7-811.4). The log-klotho level was negatively correlated with the uric acid level (r = -0.154; p < 0.0001). After adjustment for potential covariates, each one-unit increase in uric acid was significantly associated with a decrease in the log-klotho level (adjusted beta = -0.028; p < 0.0001). Compared with subjects without hyperuricemia, those with hyperuricemia had significantly lower serum klotho levels (adjusted beta = -0.062; p < 0.0001). We found a significant inverse association between serum uric acid and serum klotho levels in the general population, that is, an increase in serum uric acid levels was associated with a decrease in klotho levels. This finding suggests that loss of klotho may be due to the progression of hyperuricemia or, subsequently, gout.