Objective  To explore dietary pattern and its association with hyperuricemia (HUA) among adult residents in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (Liangshan) of Sichuan province and to provide evidences for the prevention and control of HUA.

  Methods  We recruited 2 970 residents aged 18 years and older in one municipality and two counties of Liangshan using stratified cluster sampling; then we conducted a questionnaire survey, physical examinations and laboratory tests from July 2014 to February 2016. Dietary patterns were extracted with reduced rank regression and factor analysis, and log-binomial regression model was used to analyze the association between dietary patterns and HUA among the participants.

  Results  The prevalence rate of HUA in the participants was 26.6%, and the rate was 36.8% and 14.8% in the male and female participants, respectively. The reduced rank regression extracted a HUA-related dietary pattern characterized by more intake of fish, fresh meat, wine, sugary drinks, cured bacon, wheat products and less intake of vegetables and milk among the participants. Three dietary patterns identified with factor analysis were mixed food pattern, meat and wine pattern, and fruit and vegetable pattern, accounting for 32.29% of total variance, among the male participants; while, among the female participants, the three patterns were vegetable and fish meat pattern, mixed food pattern, and vegetable and staple pattern, accounting for 34.94%. After adjusting for confounding factors as age, years of education, smoking, alcohol drinking, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, the participants with the first quartile (Q₁) score of HUA-related dietary pattern had a higher risk of HUA (prevalence ratio PR = 2.255, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.850 – 2.773) compared to those with the fourth quartile (Q₄) score; the male participants with the Q₄ score of meat and wine dietary pattern had a higher risk of HUA (PR = 1.374, 95% CI: 1.146 – 1.565) compared to those with the Q₁ score, while the male participants with the Q₄ score of fruit and vegetable pattern had a lower risk of HUA (PR = 0.744, 95% CI: 0.616 – 0.897) compared to those with the Q₁ score; the female participants with higher score of vegetable and staple dietary pattern had a lower risk of HUA (Q₃: PR = 0.574, 95% CI: 0.394 – 0.823; Q₄: PR = 0.663, 95% CI: 0.462 – 0.940) in comparison with those with the Q₁ score.

  Conclusion  Among adult residents in Liangshan prefecture of Sichuan province, the HUA-related dietary pattern is associated with increased prevalence of HUA; in the male residents, the meat and wine dietary pattern is related to increased but fruit and vegetable pattern related to decreased HUA prevalence; in the female residents, the vegetable and staple dietary pattern is related to decreased HUA prevalence.