A predictive marker for target organ damage in primary hypertension: serum uric acid levels

Background: This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid levels, the left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in primary hypertension patients. Material and Method: A total of 139 primary hypertension patients, including 45 (32.4%) men and 94 (67.6%) women were involved in the study. The laboratory and clinical demographic findings, as well as the LVMI and CIMT levels of the patients, were collected from patient files. Results: 37% of the study population were found to have hyperuricemia. LVMI (99.75}13.4 vs 86.17±17.6; p=0.010) and CIMT (0.88±0.26 vs 0.75±0.17; p=0.023) levels were found to be higher in the hyperuricemia versus the non-hyperuricemia group. According to the correlation analysis, there was a positive correlation between uric acid and LVMI (r=0.282, p=0.032) and CIMT (r=0.285, p=0.002) levels. Robust regression analysis showed that uric acid was an independent risk factor for both the LVMI (β±SE: 1.615±1.03, p<0.05) and CIMT (β±SE: 0.251±0.09, p<0.05). Conclusion: We found serum uric acid levels to be closely related to the target organ damage associated with primary hypertension, and even related with target organ damage independent from blood pressure.