The aim of this project was to study the risk of developing
hypertension over a 6-year follow-up in normotensive men with baseline
hyperuricemia (serum
uric acid >7.0 mg/dL) but without diabetes/
glucose intolerance or
metabolic syndrome. We analyzed the data on men without
metabolic syndrome or
hypertension at baseline from the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. These men (n=3073; age: 35 to 57 years) were followed for an average of 6 years by annual examinations. Follow-up blood pressure among those with baseline was consistently higher than among those with normal serum
uric acid concentration. We used Cox regression models for adjustment for the effects of serum
creatinine, body mass index, age, blood pressure,
proteinuria, serum
cholesterol and
triglycerides, alcohol and tobacco use, risk factor interventions, and use of
diuretics. In these models, normotensive men with baseline
hyperuricemia had an 80% excess risk for incident
hypertension (hazard ratio: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.07) compared with those who did not. Each unit increase in serum
uric acid was associated with a 9% increase in the risk for incident
hypertension (hazard ratio: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.17). We conclude that the
hyperuricemia-
hypertension risk relationship is present among normotensive middle-aged men without diabetes/
glucose intolerance or
metabolic syndrome.