Association between the uric acid to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and alanine transaminase in Chinese short stature children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Objective This research aimed to investigate the relationship between the uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in children and adolescents with short stature. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis, the clinical data of 1510 children with height below − 2 SD who were evaluated at the Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2021, were selected. Anthropometric and biochemical indicators were measured.The relationship between UHR and ALT was analysed. Results The univariate analysis results showed that UHR was positively associated with ALT (β 0.43, P < 0.0001). Furthermore, after adjusting for possible confounding factors,a nonlinear relationship was detected between UHR and ALT through smooth curve fitting, and the inflection point of UHR was 10.93% after multivariate piecewise linear regression analysis. ALT increased with UHR elevation when the UHR was greater than 10.93% (β 0.69, 95% CI 0.39, 0.98; P < 0.0001). However, we did not observe a significant relationship when the UHR was less than 10.93% (P = 0.9229). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that in Chinese children and adolescents with short stature, UHR may be associated with the regulation of ALT levels, and this relationship merits further investigation.