Children with Down's syndrome display high rates of hyperuricaemia.
OBJECTIVE
Several studies show that hyperuricaemia, abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood, frequently occurs in adult Down's syndrome patients, but paediatric research is scarce. We aimed to clarify its prevalence in paediatric Down's syndrome patients and its association with lifestyle-related laboratory variables and nutritional intake, to consider possible effects in later life.


METHODS
We compared 52 Down's syndrome patients, from one to 15 years of age, with age-matched controls. Hyperuricaemia was defined using reference values established for children, as uric acid z-scores of more than 2.0. Nutritional intake was estimated using 3-day dietary records.


RESULTS
Hyperuricaemia occurred in 17 Down's patients (32.7%) and was significantly higher in Down's patients than the controls. The prevalence was also significantly higher in males. There were no significant differences between hyperuricaemia-positive and hyperuricaemia-negative patients in terms of age, body mass index standard deviation scores, fasting blood glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance and triglyceride, and purine body intake was similar. There were differences in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.


CONCLUSIONS
We found high rates of hyperuricaemia from early childhood in Down's syndrome patients. This suggests careful management of Down's syndrome patients, as hyperuricaemia is an independent risk factor for lifestyle-related diseases in adulthood.
Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women's University, Nara, Japan.
Ayako
A
Kashima
Yukie
Y
Higashiyama
Masaru
M
Kubota
Chiharu
C
Kawaguchi
Yukihiro
Y
Takahashi
Toshiya
T
Nishikubo
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence
Down's syndrome; Hyperuricaemia; Lifestyle-related disease; Nutrient intake; Uric acid