Association Between Serum Uric Acid Levels and Atrial Fibrillation Risk.

BACKGROUND Several studies were published to assess the association between serum uric acid levels and atrial fibrillation risk, but no consistent results were reported. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the evidence of the association between hyperuricemia and atrial fibrillation risk. MATERIAL/METHODS Pubmed and Embase databases were searched for prospective cohort studies assessing the association between hyperuricemia and atrial fibrillation risk. Relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were pooled using random-effect of meta-analysis to assess the risk of atrial fibrillation in individuals with hyperuricemia. RESULTS Six cohort studies were finally included into the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of those 6 studies showed that hyperuricemia was significantly associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation (RR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.24-1.79, P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis by omitting single study sequentially by turns did not have any obvious influence on the pooled risk estimates. There was no obvious risk of publication bias in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS Based on the currently available data, hyperuricemia is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation.