Objectives.There is a high prevalence of gouty arthritis(GA)among Taiwan aborigines. This study analyzed the correlation between seurm uric acid levels among siblings and familial aggregation of serum uric in Taiwanese aboriginal families. Methods.This was a cross-sectional study conducted in central Taiwan. From March to May 2001,we recruited 210 aboriginal children(mean age,8.79+-1.95 years)form 95 different families. All children completed a structured questionnaire which collected family information and provided blood samples for serum uric acid analysis. The associations between serum uric acid and hyperuricemia between the firstborn sibling and other siblings in families with a history of GA were asscssed by multiple regression and logistic regression with generalized estimation equations(GEEs). Results.The mean serum uric acid level was 363.12+-78.710umol/L.The adjusted correlation coefficients of seurm uric acid between the firstborn siblings and other siblings were 0.74 in the families of parents with GA,and 0.33 in those with parents without GA.The families of firstborn siblings without hyperuricemia and parents without GA served as the reference group(OR=1);the adjusted odds ratio for hyperuricemia of other siblings was 6.23 in the families with hyperuricemic firstborn siblings and parents with GA(95%CI=1.473to27.6). Conclusions.Although the possibility of recall bias cannot be excluded, our data suggests a correlation between serum uric acid levels among siblings and familial aggregation of hyperuricemia in Taiwan aboriginal families, especially in families with a history of GA.
