Arsenic exposure, hyperuricemia, and gout in US adults

There is very limited information on the association between arsenic and serum uric acid levels or gout. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of arsenic with hyperuricemia and gout in US adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5632 adults aged 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2010 with determinations of serum uric acid and urine total arsenic and dimethylarsinate (DMA). Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid higher than 7.0 mg/dL for men and 6.0 mg/dL for women. Gout was defined based on self-reported physician diagnosis and medication use. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, comorbidities and arsenobetaine levels, the increase in the geometric means of serum uric acid associated with one interquartile range increase in total arsenic and DMA levels was 3% (95% CI 2–5) and 3% (2–5), respectively, in men and 1% (0–3) and 2% (0–4), respectively, in women. In men, the adjusted odds ratio for hyperuricemia comparing the highest to lowest quartiles of total arsenic was 1.84 (95% CI, 1.26–2.68) and for DMA it was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.01–1.96). The corresponding odds ratios in women were 1.26 (0.77, 2.07) and 1.49 (0.96, 2.31), respectively. The odds ratio for gout comparing the highest to lowest tertiles was 5.46 (95% CI, 1.70–17.6) for total arsenic and 1.98 (0.64–6.15) for DMA among women older than 40 years old. Urine arsenic was not associated with gout in men. Low level arsenic exposures may be associated with the risk of hyperuricemia in men and with the prevalence of gout in women. Prospective research focusing on establishing the direction of the relationship among arsenic, hyperuricemia, and gout is needed.