Association between Uric Acid-to-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio and Diabetic Kidney Disease in US Adults with Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Keywords

Diabetic kidney disease
NHANES
Cross-sectional study

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How to Cite

yang, yang, Yang, X., Ding, K., & Shao, H. (2026). Association between Uric Acid-to-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio and Diabetic Kidney Disease in US Adults with Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 2(6), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.64904/20260678

Abstract

Background This study aimed to investigate the association between the uric acid (UA) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (UHR) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) among American adults with diabetes. Methods Data from NHANES 2007-2016 were analyzed. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to evaluate the association between UHR and DKD risk. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of UHR for DKD was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests were performed to examine the reliability and robustness of the findings. Results A total of 4,312 participants were included in the analysis. As a continuous variable, UHR was positively associated with an increased risk of DKD (OR 1.07, 95%CI 1.05–1.09, (P<0.05)). When stratified by quartiles, the fully adjusted model showed that the third and fourth UHR quartiles were associated with significantly higher odds of DKD compared with the lowest quartile (Q3: OR 1.70, 95%CI 1.31-2.22, (P<0.001); Q4: OR 2.44, 95%CI 1.86-3.18, (P<0.001)). RCS analysis indicated a linear relationship between UHR and DKD risk (P for nonlinearity = 0.502). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of UHR for discriminating DKD was 0.708. Subgroup analyses revealed consistent associations across all subgroups, and interaction tests identified significant effect modifications by age, sex, and smoking status (all P for interaction <0.05). Conclusion UHR is significantly associated with DKD in US adults with diabetes. An elevated UHR may serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing DKD risk in adult patients with diabetes.

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