Predictive value of uric acid to albumin ratio for carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background This study aims to evaluate the correlation between the uric acid (UA) to albumin (ALB) ratio (UAR) and carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as to assess the predictive value of UAR for CAS. Methods A cross-sectional, single-center study was conducted, retrospectively analyzing hematological parameters from 259 T2DM patients with CAS (T2DM-CAS) and 131 T2DM patients without CAS (T2DM-WCAS). Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaques (CAP) were measured using Doppler ultrasound. Results The UAR level in the T2DM-CAS group was significantly higher than that in the T2DM-WCAS group (P <  0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that UAR is an independent risk factor for T2DM-CAS (P <  0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for UAR in predicting T2DM-CAS was 0.712, with a Youden index of 0.278. Conclusion High levels of UAR are closely associated with the occurrence of T2DM-CAS and may serve as a useful biomarker for predicting T2DM-CAS.