Association Between Serum Uric Acid And Arterial Stiffness Among Hypertensive Population In Rural Areas Of Two Cities

Background: Arterial stiffness is a non-inflammatory disease of the arteries.It is the common pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases which seriously endangering human health.Brachy-ankle pulse wave velocity(baPWV)is widely used as an independent non-invasive predictor of arterial stiffness.Uric acid is the final product of human sputum metabolism.Uric acid levels were associated with many recognized cardiovascular risk factors,but the relationship between uric acid levels and arterial stiffness is still inconsistent.Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship of uric acid with baPWV and arterial stiffness,and examine any possible effect modifiers among hypertensive population in rural areas of Eastern China.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among hypertensive population in Lianyungang and Anqing City from July to September 2013.Baseline characteristics of study participants were collected using standardized epidemiological questionnaires.Serum uric acid,creatinine,total homocysteine,fasting lipids,and fasting glucose were measured using automatic clinical analyzers(Beckman Coulter).The baPWV was automatically measured using form PWV/ABI instruments(form PWV/ABI,BP-203RPE;Omron-Colin,Japan).Generalized linear regression models and multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship of serum uric acid with baPWV levels and the prevalence of arterial stiffness,respectively.Results: A total of 4 278 participants were included in the final analysis.The mean age was 65.2 � 7.4 years,the mean levels of serum uric acid was 321.0 � 88.7 ?mol/L,the mean value of baPWV levels were 1 835.1 � 383.4 cm/s and the prevalence of arterial stiffness was 47.7%.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that,after adjustment for age,sex,body mass index,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,smoking,alcohol consumption,total cholesterol,triglycerides,high-density lipoprotein,fasting blood glucose,homocysteine,creatinine and the use of antihypertensive drugs,there was a positive correlation between serum uric acid and baPWV levels(per 88.7 ?mol/L(standard deviation,SD)increment;?=20.53 cm/s;95%CI: 8.54,32.51;P=0.001).When serum uric acid was categorized in tertiles,a significantly higher baPWV level was found in participants in tertile 3(?349 ?mol/L)(?=51.24 cm/s;95%CI: 23.84,78.64;P<0.001)compared with those in tertile 1(<277 ?mol/L).Hyperuricemia was also significantly positively correlated with baPWV levels compared with non-hyperuricemia(?=41.43 cm/s;95%CI: 16.56,66.29;P=0.001).Further stratified analysis showed that,the serum uric acid-baPWV association was stronger in those systolic blood pressure ?140 mmHg(vs.<140 mmHg;?=35.84 cm/s;95%CI: 17.80,53.75;P-interaction=0.001).There was also a positive correlation between serum uric acid levels and the prevalence of arterial stiffness(per 88.7 ?mol/L(SD)increment;OR=1.10;95%CI: 1.00,1.21;P=0.039).Conclusions: There was a positive relationship between serum uric acid with baPWV levels and the prevalence of arterial stiffness among hypertensive populations in rural areas of Eastern China,especially in those with higher SBP levels.