Serum uric acid and prehypertension among Chinese adults : Journal of Hypertension (original) (raw)

Original papers: Epidemiology

Liang, Juna; Xue, Yinga; Zou, Caiyana; Zhang, Tonga; Song, Huaidongb; Qi, Luc,d

aDepartment of Endocrinology, the Central Hospital of Xuzhou, Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, XuZhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China

bRuijin Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Molecular Medical Center, Shanghai Institute of Endocrinology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

cDepartment of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA

dChanning Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Received 15 January, 2009

Revised 31 March, 2009

Accepted 7 May, 2009

Correspondence to Dr Lu Qi, MD, PhD, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA Tel: +1 617 432 4116; fax: +617 432 2435; e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Background

Raised blood pressure is emerging as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. We examined the relation between serum uric acid and prehypertension and the modification effects of age, obesity, fasting glucose, and lipids in Chinese adults.

Methods

The study samples are from a community-based health examination survey in China. A total of 14 451 patients with normal range of blood pressure were included.

Results

The odds ratios [ORs, 95% confidence interval (CI)] of prehypertension across increasing quintiles of serum uric acid were 1.00, 1.04 (0.92–1.18), 1.21 (1.06–1.38), 1.26 (1.09–1.45), and 1.36 (1.17–1.58) (P for trend < 0.0001), adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, glucose, and lipids. The regression splines suggested a possible threshold effect for serum uric acid of approximately 200 μmol/l on prehypertension risk. The associations were significant in both men and women, but was not significant in older individuals aged above 60 years. In addition, fasting glucose significantly interacted with uric acid (P for interaction < 0.0001). The associations were more evident in patients with low (P = 0.0005) and median glucose levels (P = 0.002) than in those with high glucose levels.

Conclusions

Serum uric acid was associated with prehypertension, independent of metabolic risk factors. The associations were not significant in old individuals. Fasting glucose may modify the associations.