Fractional uric acid excretion linked to kidney function decline
Higher fractional uric acid excretion was associated with eGFR decline after adjustment for confounders (odds ratio 1.218, 95% CI 1.176–1.262).
Kidney & Blood Pressure Research
In participants from two Chinese population studies, fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA) was associated with decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a kidney-function estimate. Researchers conducted cross-sectional analyses in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, with external validation in the China Health and Nutrition Survey. The association remained after adjustment for confounders.
The researchers also conducted six sets of two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses using genetic variants related to uric acid handling. Lower FEUA was associated with higher eGFR. Higher urinary uric acid clearance had a borderline association with lower eGFR (P=0.052). Genetic analyses linked increased SLC2A9 to lower eGFR and decreased SLC22A11 to higher eGFR.
Why it matters
The findings suggest uric acid handling warrants further study in kidney-health research relevant to aging. They do not establish that changing uric acid excretion protects kidneys.
Caveats
Cross-sectional data cannot establish temporal order, and eGFR estimates kidney function rather than measuring kidney damage itself. The abstract does not report sample sizes or the FEUA increment underlying the odds ratio.
- Estimated glomerular filtration rate
- Fractional excretion of uric acid
- Urinary uric acid clearance
- Kidney damage
- Humans
The paper
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Xiuying Wang, Xueyao Han,Kidney & Blood Pressure Research · 5 Oct 2026