title: Longitudinal Association Between Serum Uric Acid and Arterial Stiffness: Results From the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
abstract: Serum uric acid (SUA) has long been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, with arterial stiffness proposed as a mediator. However, evidence on the association between SUA and arterial stiffness is limited to contradicting cross-sectional studies. In this analysis, we examined the longitudinal relationship between SUA and pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, in a community-dwelling population. We studied 446 women and 427 men participating in the BLSA (Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging), with 1409 and 1434 observations, respectively, over an average period of 6 years. At baseline, mean ages of women and men were 65±13 and 68±13 years; mean SUA, 4.6±1.1 and 5.7±1.3 mg/dL; mean pulse wave velocity, 8.1±1.7 and 8.6±1.9 m/s, respectively (P<0.0001). In gender-stratified models accounting for age, blood pressure, renal function, metabolic measures, and medications, there was a significant interaction between SUA and follow-up time in men (β=0.69; P=0.0002) but not in women. Men, but not women, in the highest gender-specific SUA tertile at baseline (SUA≥6.2 mg/dL in men and SUA≥4.9 mg/dL in women) had a greater rate of pulse wave velocity increase over time than those in the lowest tertiles (β=0.997; P=0.012). This gender difference was lost when the distribution of SUA in men and women was made comparable by excluding hyperuricemic men (SUA≥6.2 mg/dL). In conclusion, higher SUA was associated with greater increase in pulse wave velocity in men but not women; this association was lost when men with SUA≥6.2 mg/dL were not included, suggesting a threshold for SUA association with arterial stiffness, which is more frequently reached in men.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canepa
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Viazzi
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Strait
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ameri
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pontremoli
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brunelli
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Studenski
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: Edward G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Lakatta
authors.forename: Majd
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: AlGhatrif
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014527:Uric Acid
keywords: arterial stiffness; hyperuricemia; longitudinal cohort study; pulse wave velocity; serum uric acid