Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar;13(3):178-88.
doi: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2010.00406.x. Epub 2010 Dec 22.

Determinants of vascular function in patients with chronic gout

Affiliations

Determinants of vascular function in patients with chronic gout

Robert D Brook et al. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Epidemiologic studies have proposed a relationship between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, it is unclear whether uric acid (UA) is an independent risk factor for CV disease (CVD) after controlling for other predisposing conditions. Gout patients might have persistent systemic inflammation, which, in addition to hyperuricemia, may potentiate CVD. This study examined vascular function and markers of CV damage in gout patients when compared with healthy controls. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation, arterial compliance, and microvascular function were measured. Circulating apoptotic endothelial cells and endothelial progenitor cells were quantified by FACS and circulating biomarkers of CVD by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gout patients displayed significant increases in body mass index, C-reactive protein, UA, and triglycerides and decreases in high-density lipoprotein. There were no significant differences in other CV traditional risk factors, adhesion molecules, or chemokines. Gout patients did not differ from controls in vascular function. In univariate and multivariate analysis, UA was not associated with the quantified CV risk parameters. Despite an increase in several CV risk factors, inflammation, and UA, gout patients display normal endothelial function and no increases in biomarkers of CVD. These results do not support the notion that gout is an independent risk factor for premature CVD.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Baker JF, Krishnan E, Chen L, et al. Serum uric acid and cardiovascular disease: recent developments, and where do they leave us? Am J Med. 2005;118(8):816–826. - PubMed
    1. Hoieggen A, Alderman MH, Kjeldsen SE, et al. The impact of serum uric acid on cardiovascular outcomes in the LIFE study. Kidney Int. 2004;65(3):1041–1049. - PubMed
    1. Wen CP, David Cheng TY, Chan HT, et al. Is high serum uric acid a risk marker or a target for treatment? Examination of its independent effect in a large cohort with low cardiovascular risk. Am J Kidney Dis. 2010;56(2):273–288. - PubMed
    1. Iribarren C, Folsom AR, Eckfeldt JH, et al. Correlates of uric acid and its association with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis: the ARIC Study. Atherosclerosis risk in Communities. Ann Epidemiol. 1996;6(4):331–340. - PubMed
    1. Kim SY, Guevara JP, Kim KM, et al. Hyperuricemia and coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2010;62(2):170–180. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms