The Relationship between Uric Acid and Homocysteine Levels based on Alcohol-related Facial Flushing

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the correlation between blood uric acid and homocysteine levels, based on alcohol-related facial flushing. METHODS: Among male adults who visited a health examination center of a university hospital located in Daejeon, Korea, for a personal health examination from March 2013 to February 2014, 702 subjects were analyzed including 401 subjects without alcohol-related facial flushing and 301 with facial flushing. Pearson's correlation and stepwise multivariate linear regression analyses were performed between the log homocysteine levels and other variables including uric acid. RESULTS: Uric acid showed a significant positive correlation with log homocysteine (gamma=0.166, P=0.001) (beta=0.176; P=0.001) in the non-flushing group. In contrast, none of the variables showed any significant correlations with log homocysteine in the flushing group. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol users not exhibiting alcohol-related facial flushing showed a positive correlation between uric acid and homocysteine levels, whereas those without facial flushing showed no such correlation.