Hypertension as Determinant of Hyperuricemia: A Case Control Study from the Sub-Himalayan Region in North India.

Background: Association between hyperuricemia and hypertension has been recognized for many years. Whether hyperuricemia is the cause or the effect is debatable.

Materials and methods: This case control study was conducted to assess serum uric acid (SUA) levels in fifty newly diagnosed essential hypertensive patients and fifty normotensive controls which were matched for age and sex. Detailed anthropometric characteristics including height, weight, body mass index and waist hip ratio were measured. Hypertension was classified according to Joint National Committee (JNC) 7 criteria. Hyperuricemia was defined as SUA level of 6.8mg/dl or more in both men and women. SUA was measured by uricase method. Before collecting the blood samples, patients were advised to proceed on overnight fast of minimum eight hrs. Student's t‑test for mean of continuous variables and Chi‑square test for proportions were used for statistical significance.

Results: Present study included 50 newly diagnosed cases of essential hypertension and 50 age and sex matched normotensive healthy volunteer. Prevalence of hyperuricemia was 24% among the cases and 6% among the controls (P < 0 .05). Odds ratio was 4.9 (CI=1.3 to 18.8). The mean SUA was significantly higher in the cases (5.5±1.7 mg/dl) than in the controls (4.9±1.1 mg/dl; P < 0.05). Odds ratio in male hyperuricemic hypertensive versus hyperuricemic normotensive was 6(CI=1.0 to 33.2) and 4.46(CI=0.4 to 42.5) among female hyperuricemic hypertensive versus hyperuricemic normotensives.

Conclusion: Strong positive association was observed between hypertension and hyperuricemia in both male and female patients in this study.