title: Uricaemia and left ventricular mass in hypertensive patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both hyperuricaemia and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy are associated with the metabolic syndrome and increased cardiovascular risk. The relationship between uric acid levels and left ventricular mass in hypertension, however, is unclear. In this study, we have investigated this relationship in hypertensive patients without the metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, 367 nondiabetic, essential hypertensive patients (age 52 ± 14; 194 males and 173 females) free of clinically relevant cardiovascular complications and without the metabolic syndrome were consecutively recruited at a university hypertension clinic. In these patients, we measured plasma levels of uric acid, lipids, glucose and insulin at fast and after an oral glucose load (OGTT), renal function and performed both conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypertensive patients with LV hypertrophy had higher uric acid levels and greater prevalence of hyperuricemia than patients with normal left ventricular mass. Uric acid levels were directly related with fasting and post-OGTT plasma insulin and with the HOMA index and inversely with 24-h creatinine clearance. Uric acid was also significantly and directly related with the left ventricular mass and multivariate regression analysis showed that this relationship was independent from components of the metabolic syndrome and renal function in women, but not in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated uric acid levels are independently related to the left ventricular mass in hypertensive women without the metabolic syndrome. In these patients with a low cardiovascular risk profile, uric acid might contribute to the development of subclinical cardiac damage.
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Unit, Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medical Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catena
authors.forename: GianLuca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colussi
authors.forename: Frine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capobianco
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brosolo
authors.forename: Leonardo A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sechi
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D014527:Uric Acid
keywords: Hypertension; left ventricular hypertrophy; metabolic syndrome; tissue Doppler echocardiography; uric acid