Preterm Birth Is Associated with Higher Uric Acid Levels in Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To compare serum uric acid levels in adolescents born prematurely and adolescents born at term and to assess the correlation between serum uric acid and blood pressure (BP) in those born prematurely.

Study design: In this observational cohort study, 124 adolescents born prematurely and 44 adolescents born at term were studied at 14 years of age. Multivariate analyses were used to describe the relationship of premature birth to serum uric acid while adjusting for confounding variables. Pearson correlation was used to describe the relationship between uric acid and systolic BP among those born prematurely.

Results: Adjusting for race, sex, maternal hypertension, and fetal growth, we found that preterm adolescents had greater serum uric acid levels than adolescents born at term (adjusted mean difference 0.46, 95% CI 0.10-0.81 mg/dL; 27.4, 6-48.2 μmol/L; P = .012). Among those born prematurely, uric acid was positively correlated with systolic BP (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.29, 0.12-0.44; P = .0013).

Conclusions: Serum uric acid levels are greater in adolescents born prematurely than in those born at term, and this difference could contribute to greater BP among individuals born prematurely.