title: A genetic marker of hyperuricemia predicts cardiovascular events in a meta-analysis of three cohort studies in high risk patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The strongest genetic marker of uric acid levels, the rs734553 SNP in the GLUT9 urate transporter gene, predicts progression to kidney failure in CKD patients and associates with systolic BP and carotid intima media thickness in family-based studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Since genes are transmitted randomly (Mendelian randomization) we used this gene polymorphism as an unconfounded research instrument to further explore the link between uric acid and cardiovascular disease (cardiovascular death, and non-fatal myocardial infarction and stroke) in a meta-analysis of three cohort studies formed by high risk patients (MAURO: 755 CKD patients; GHS: 353 type 2 diabetics and coronary artery disease and the TVAS: 119 patients with myocardial infarction).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In separate analyses of the three cohorts, the incidence rate of CV events was higher in patients with the rs734553 risk (T) allele (TT/GT) than in those without (GG patients) and the HR in TT/GT patients in the three cohorts (range 1.72-2.14) coherently signaled an excessive cardiovascular risk with no heterogeneity (I2 = 0.01). The meta-analytical estimate (total number of patients, n = 1227; total CV events, n = 222) of the HR for the combined end-point in TT/GT patients was twice higher (pooled HR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.11-3.75, P = 0.02) than in GG homozygotes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The T allele of the rs734553 polymorphism in the GLUT9 gene predicts a doubling in the risk for incident cardiovascular events in patients at high cardiovascular risk. Findings in this study are compatible with the hypothesis of a causal role of hyperuricemia in cardiovascular disease in high risk conditions.
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Mendel Laboratory, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prudente
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leonardis
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spoto
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sanguedolce
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Parlongo
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tripepi
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mallamaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Mendel Laboratory, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy; Research Unit of Diabetes and Endocrine Diseases IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trischitta
authors.affiliation: CNR-IFC, Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Reggio Calabria, Italy. Electronic address: carmine.zoccali@tin.it.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zoccali
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D051246:Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D051246:Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative; C411811:SLC2A9 protein, human
keywords: Cardiovascular risk; Epidemiology; Polymorphism; Uric acid