You-Fan Peng,1,2,* Han Yin,3,* Lin Hu,3 Li Fang,4 Dian-Rong Jia,5 Ling Li3,6 

1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, People’s Republic of China; 2Life Science and Clinical Medicine Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endocrinology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing Gaochun Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou Jiangyan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China; 6Pancreatic Research Institute, Southeast University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Ling Li, Department of Endocrinology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, No. 87 Dingjiaqiao, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People’s Republic of China, Email dr_liling@126.com Dian-Rong Jia, Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou Jiangyan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 699 Jiangyan Avenue, Taizhou, Jiangsu, 225500, People’s Republic of China, Email jiadianrong-1111@163.com

Background: Hyperuricemia is highly prevalent among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Inflammation is associated with the process of hyperuricemia. However, it is unclear whether white blood cell (WBC) count, a convenient inflammatory marker, is associated with hyperuricemia in patients with T2DM. Thus, we aimed to explore the possible association between WBC count and hyperuricemia in patients with T2DM.
Methods: A total of 1768 patients with T2DM were retrospectively included. Cumulative data were analyzed in patients with T2DM.
Results: WBC count was significantly elevated in T2DM patients with hyperuricemia compared with those without hyperuricemia (6.80 [5.60, 8.02] vs 6.20 [5.27, 7.24] 109/L, p< 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between WBC count and serum UA levels in patients with T2DM (r=0.165, 95% CI: [0.118, 0.211], p< 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed an independent association between WBC count and hyperuricemia in patients with T2DM (OR=1.185, 95% CI: [1.077, 1.303], p< 0.001).
Conclusion: Elevated WBC count, even within the normal range, is associated with hyperuricemia in patients with T2DM, suggesting that chronic inflammation, as indicated by a higher WBC count, may be related to the development of hyperuricemia in patients with T2DM and urate-lowering therapy may be helpful to ameliorate chronic inflammatory damage in T2DM patients with hyperuricemia.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperuricemia, white blood cell, inflammation