Fig 1.
Flow diagram of subject classification.
Subjects were followed up for 3 to 9 years. The analysis was conducted on 4188 subjects followed up for at 3 years, 3102 for at least 6 years, and 1052 for 9 years.
Table 1.
Baseline characteristics by gender-specific quartiles of serum uric acid levels (Male).
Table 2.
Baseline characteristics by gender-specific quartiles of serum uric acid levels (Female).
Fig 2.
Effect of serum uric acid level on loss of kidney function.
The high risk of loss of kidney function was observed in males with low or high serum uric acid levels, but not in females. The curves from logistic additive models with spline show a pattern indicating the effect of serum uric acid level on the likelihood of loss of kidney function with 95% confidence interval: male, linear p = 0.0001, spline p = 0.043; female, linear p = 0.18, spline p = 0.68. The models are adjusted for baseline characteristics. Abbreviations: Effect, effect of serum uric acid level on the likelihood of loss of kidney function.
Fig 3.
Effect of serum uric acid level on eGFR decline.
The negative eGFR decline (rapidly decreasing eGFR) was observed in males with low or high serum uric acid levels, but not in females. The curves from generalized additive models with spline show the pattern of effect of serum uric acid level on eGFR decline with 95% confidence interval: male, linear p = 0.0001, spline p = 0.012; female, linear p = 0.074, spline p = 0.52. The models are adjusted for baseline characteristics. Abbreviations: Effect, effect of serum uric acid level on eGFR decline.
Table 3.
Association between high serum uric acid levels and eGFR decline in subjects with low serum uric acid levels (male, <5 mg/dl; female, <3.6 mg/dl).
Fig 4.
Exercise load and risk of loss of kidney function in subjects with low serum uric acid levels.
The risk of loss of kidney function was increased by a high exercise load in males. Exercise load: Male; level 1, almost no exercise; level 2, once a moth; level 3, twice a month; level 4, once a week or more. Female; level 1, almost no exercise; level 2, once a moth; level 3, twice a month or more. Abbreviations: Incidence, incidence of loss of kidney function; Male, serum uric acid levels were less than 5 mg/dl; Female, serum uric acid levels were less than 3.6 mg/dl.