title: The effect of allopurinol on lowering blood pressure in hemodialysis patients with hyperuricemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hyperuricemia has been associated with the development of high blood pressure (BP). We studied the effects of allopurinol therapy in hyperuricemic hemodialysis (HD) patients with high BP.
  
  
  METHODS
  This single-blind, randomized cross-over clinical study involved 55 HD patients with serum uric acid level > 6.5 (men) and > 5.5 mg/dL (women). They were randomly divided in two groups, each of which went through two phases. Group-1 in phase-1 received 100 mg/day orally of allopurinol for three months; while Group-2 was given whatever medication they received prior to the study. After two months of washing period, the groups were crossed-over. The BP levels were measured before and after HD during the eight months study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three patients completed the study (33 men and 20 women, with mean age of 55.8 years). Uric acid levels decreased significantly during the12 weeks of allopurinol therapy (7.71 ± 1.53 to 5.2 ± 1.2 P < 0.005). Overall, after the 12 weeks of allopurinol therapy, systolic and diastolic BP also significantly decreased in allopurinol group, 15.8% (139 to 117, P < 0.0005) and 8.6% (81 to 74, P <.0005), respectively. There were not significant changes in body mass index, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, albumin, cholesterol, triglyceride, hemoglobin, liver enzymes and serum electrolytes level after treatment. Patients treated with allopurinol had a significant increase in the quality of dialysis (KT/V) (P: 0.043).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In HD patients, allopurinol treatment reduced BP. The results indicate a new potential therapeutic approach for controlling BP in HD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jalalzadeh
authors.forename: Zeinalabedin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nurcheshmeh
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.forename: Nouraddin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mousavinasab
authors.forename: Mohammad Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ghadiani
keywords: Allopurinol; end stage renal disease; high blood pressure; uric acid