Serum Uric Acid Level and Inflammation in Obese Medical Students at Ain Shams University

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity occur when excess fat accumulation increases risk to health, leading to expression of co-morbid diseases occur at different thresholds. That's why obesity is now recognized as a chronic or non-communicable disease. Aim of Study: To assess serum uric acid and diet contrib-uting in its increased concentration level in relation to inflam-mation in a subsample of obese medical students as compared to normal-weight medical students in Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams University. Subjects and Methods: The current study is a case control study of 63 students among 1220 Ain Shams medical students. Our study group was divided into two groups. Group 1 included 30 students with BMI between 18.5-24.9Kg/m2. Group 2 included 33 students with BMI >!30Kg/m2. Results: There was significant difference between the two groups in weight, waist circumference and waist hip ratio, but not for height. As regards CRP serum level, the obese group showed significant increase in serum level. In the same time there was a significant positive correlation between the CRP serum level and BMI, WC and WHR in both groups. On the other hand, protein intake was significantly higher in obese group than normal weight group, as a part of increased caloric intake. When comparing serum uric acid level in the two groups there was a statistically significant difference, and on searching for a relation between the serum uric acid and BMI, WC, CRP and protein intake serum level, a positive correlation was found. Conclusion: Serum UA level is a crucial biomarker, it could induce inflammation and hence increases adiposity or its increase results from increased obesity. Moreover, increased serum uric acid is correlated to increased protein intake in obese individuals with increased total caloric intake specially protein content.