The current study aimed to investigate whether high serum uric acid (SUA) independently predicts all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and sudden cardiac death in subjects scheduled for coronary angiography. A total of 3245 individuals enrolled in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular health (LURIC) study were included in the analysis. A total of 730 deaths occurred during the mean follow-up duration of 7.3 (±2.3) years. Among these, cardiovascular diseases and sudden cardiac death accounted for 64.8% and 25.2%, respectively. Adjusting for sex and age, subjects in the fourth SUA quartile had increased all-cause [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.68; p < 0.001] and cardiovascular (HR = 2.00; p < 0.001) mortality compared to individuals in the first quartile. Furthermore, high SUA was a risk factor for sudden cardiac death (HR = 2.27; p < 0.001). These associations remained significant with inclusion of cardiovascular risk factors and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis as covariates in the models. After adjustment for medication use, statistical significance for the association between the SUA quartiles and all-cause mortality disappeared. Therefore, high SUA independently indicated increased risk for cardiovascular and sudden cardiac death in subjects referred for coronary angiography. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Jun 22. PMID: 21703834
