title: Uric acid measurement improves prediction of cardiovascular mortality in later life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the association between uric acid and cardiovascular mortality in older adults, independent of traditional risk factors, and to estimate the risk prediction gain by adding uric acid measurements to the Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Score (FCRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal observational study of two population-based cohorts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly, Iowa (Iowa-EPESE) and the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III).
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand twenty-eight Iowa-EPESE participants and 1,316 NHANES III participants. Selected participants were aged 70 and older without overt cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunction, or diuretic use who lived for 3 years or longer after baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outcome was age at cardiovascular death during follow-up (12–20 years). Uric acid and cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, systolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, serum cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High serum uric acid (>7.0 mg/dL) was associated with male sex, obesity, lipid levels, and estimated glomerular filtration rate at baseline. Fully adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular death with high uric acid versus normal were 1.36 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10–1.69) in Iowa-EPESE and 1.43 (95% CI = 1.04–1.99) in NHANES III; pooled HR was 1.38 (95% CI = 1.16–1.61). The net reclassification improvement achieved by adding uric acid measurement to the FCRS was 9% to 20%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In individuals aged 70 and older without overt CVD, renal dysfunction, or diuretic use, serum uric acid greater than 7.0 mg/dL was associated with greater CVD mortality independent of classic CVD risk factors. Adding uric acid measurement to the FCRS would improve prediction in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Public Health Group, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: Ambarish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Henley
authors.forename: Luke C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pilling
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Melzer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014527:Uric Acid