Association of serum uric acid-to-creatinine ratio with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective To investigate the association of serum uric acid (sUA)-to-creatinine (Cr) ratio with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 97 patients with NAFLD (NAFLD group) who attended Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January to December 2020, and according to the results of abdominal ultrasound, they were divided into mild group with 33 patients, moderate group with 31 patients, and severe group with 33 patients. Related data were also collected from 36 healthy adults (control group) who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period of time. The above groups were compared in terms of sex, age, fasting blood glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), sUA, serum Cr, and sUA/Cr ratio. The independent samples t- test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and an analysis of variance was used for comparison between three groups; the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman test was used for correlation analysis, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for NAFLD. Results Compared with the control group, the NAFLD group had significantly higher levels of ALT, AST, TG, GGT, sUA, and sUA/Cr ratio (Z=-4.881, -4.616, -4.221, and -3.563, t=12.974 and 10.710, all P Conclusion There is a significant correlation between sUA/Cr ratio and NAFLD, and sUA/Cr ratio is an independent predictive factor for NAFLD. The sUA/Cr ratio can be monitored to predict the onset of NAFLD, so as to achieve early identification, early diagnosis, and early treatment and improve prognosis.