Abstract
A total of 348 male workers, attending a health check-up program, were studied in order to assess the relation between hyperuricemia and both subjective symptoms and daily life styles. The subjects consisted of 207 technical workers and 141 office workers, aged from 39 to 60 years, employed in a steel factory.
Examination of subjective symptoms showed that odds ratios of hyperuricemia were high for subjects with irritation (2.23; 95% C. I., 1.32-3.77) and subjects with fatigue (1.66; 95% C. I., 1.02-2.73) . Examination of lifestyles showed high odds ratios for high frequency of eating out (2.58; 95% C. I., 1.32-5.03) and high frequency of alcohol consumption (2.50; 95% C. I., 1.26-4.96) . High odds ratios of hyperuricemia were found for subjects with high serum levels of retinol (4.45; 95% C. I., 2.24-8.86) and α-tocopherol (2.22; 95% C. I., 1.09-4.63), after adjusting for age, work type, smoking status, alcohol consumption, BMI, and serum levels of total cholesterol, creatinine and GPT activity. In contrast, the odds ratio was low for subjects with high serum levels of β-carotene (0.49; 95% CI., 0.25-0.96) .
These results indicate that certain subjective symptoms (fatigue and irritation), high frequencies of eating out, and alcohol consumption can be risk factors for hyperuricemia, and that high intake of foods rich in β-carotene (e. g., colored vegetables and fruits) may reduce the risk of hyperuricemia.
