Investigation of Uric Acid/HDL-Cholesterol Ratio as an Independent Risk Factor for Diabetic Nephropathy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major microvascular complication requiring early markers for risk stratification. We investigated the clinical utility of the uric acid (UA) to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (UHR) as a practical proinflammatory-prooxidative marker for DN. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, records of 934 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) were analyzed. UHR was calculated as [UA/HDL] x 100. DN was defined based on the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) and/or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) criteria. Patients were evaluated according to the presence of nephropathy, stage of nephropathy, and albuminuria categories. ROC analysis was performed for UHR, UA and HDL-C. Factors associated with DN were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. UHR was significantly higher in patients with DN compared to those without DN (p