title: Serum uric acid concentrations and risk of frailty in older adults.
abstract: To evaluate for the first time the longitudinal relationship between serum uric acid concentrations and risk of frailty.
  
  
  
  Prospective cohort study of 2198 non-institutionalized individuals aged ≥60years recruited in 2008-2010. At baseline, information was obtained on socio-demographic factors, health behaviors and morbidity, while serum uric acid was determined in 12-h fasting blood samples. Study participants were followed-up through 2012 to assess incident frailty, defined as ≥2 of the following 4 Fried criteria: exhaustion, muscle weakness, low physical activity, and slow walking speed.
  
  
  
  During a mean 3.5-year follow-up, 256 cases of incident frailty were identified. After multivariate adjustment, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of frailty comparing the second and third tertiles of uric acid to the lowest tertile were, respectively: 1.18 (0.83-1.68) and 1.57 (1.11-2.22); p-linear trend=0.01. The corresponding result for a 1mg/dL increase in serum uric acid concentration was 1.12 (1.00-1.24). Similar associations were observed across subgroups defined by sex, age, body mass index, and physical activity. As regards each frailty component, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) per 1mg/dL increase in serum uric acid were 1.10 (0.99-1.23) for low physical activity, 1.08 (0.95-1.23) for low walking speed, 1.08 (0.67-1.73) for exhaustion and 0.91 (0.81-1.02) for weakness.
  
  
  
  Serum uric acid concentrations are positively associated with the risk of frailty in older adults. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether specific dietary recommendations or pharmacological strategies aimed at lowering serum uric acid would be beneficial to prevent the development of this syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and Ciber of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: esthergge@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Esquinas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and Ciber of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guallar-Castillón
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Hospital Virgen del Valle, Complejo Hospitalario de Toledo, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carnicero
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buño
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Hospital Virgen del Valle, Complejo Hospitalario de Toledo, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García-García
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Leocadio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Mañas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and Ciber of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Artalejo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*; D000072797:Walking Speed
chemical_list: D014527:Uric Acid
keywords: Frailty; Gait speed; Muscle strength; Uric acid