Serum Uric Acid Levels and Renal Function in Untreated Hypertensive Patients

Background and aim Serum uric acid is considered to be a risk factor contributing to the progression of cardiovascular disease. In this cross-sectional study that used existing data, we evaluated possible correlations between serum uric acid levels and renal function and the hypothesis that elevated serum uric acid levels may be associated with worse renal function in untreated patients with arterial hypertension. Patients and methods The study involved 446 hypertensive patients (226 men, 220 women) of 52.7 ± 12.6 years of age who visited our Outpatient Hypertension Clinic and did not receive any antihypertensive therapy. Results Patient separation into three groups according to serum uric acid (SUA) levels (SUA: <6, 6-8, >8 mg/dl) showed that patients with lower serum uric acid levels had lower creatinine levels and higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), as calculated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation, and vice versa. A statistically significant correlation was observed between serum uric acid levels and either serum creatinine levels (r=0.54, p<0.001) or eGFR (r=-0.19, p<0.01). Conclusions Untreated hypertensive subjects with higher serum uric acid levels exhibit reduced renal function compared with hypertensive individuals with lower serum uric acid levels.