title: Relationship between serum uric acid levels and hypertension among Japanese individuals not treated for hyperuricemia and hypertension.
abstract: The cause and effect relationship between serum uric acid levels and hypertension can be difficult to evaluate because antihypertensive drugs sometimes affect uric acid levels. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between serum uric acid levels and hypertension in a general, healthy Japanese population who were not receiving medication for hyperuricemia or hypertension. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 90 143 Japanese people (men, 49.1%; age, 46.3±12.0 years) undergoing an annual medical examination at St Luke's International Hospital Center for Preventive Medicine, Tokyo, between January 2004 and June 2010. Of these individuals, 82 722 (91.8%) who had never taken medications for gout, hyperuricemia or hypertension were enrolled. We compared the participant characteristics and prevalence of diastolic hypertension (⩾90 mm Hg) and/or systolic hypertension (⩾140 mm Hg) by serum uric acid quartile. The odds ratio (OR) of hypertension was 1.20 for each 1 mg dl(-1) increase in serum uric acid level after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Compared with the lowest serum uric acid quartile, participants in the highest quartile had a 3.7-fold higher OR for hypertension. After adjustment for age, BMI, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking and eGFR, these ORs were 1.79 (1.62-1.98) in the total study population, 1.58 (1.44-1.75) in men and 1.60 (1.39-1.84) in women. The results were similar for both systolic and diastolic hypertension. Elevated serum uric acid levels may be as important as obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking and reduced kidney function for the development of hypertension and should be considered in hypertension prevention programs.
authors.affiliation: 1] Division of Regenerative Medicine and Therapeutics, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Tottori University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Yonago, Japan [2] Department of Cardiology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan [3] Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuwabara
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Niwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikki
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamazoe
authors.affiliation: St Luke's Life Science Institute, Center for Clinical Epidemiology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Regenerative Medicine and Therapeutics, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Tottori University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Yonago, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hisatome
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014527:Uric Acid