Since the publication of the Framingham Heart Study, which suggested that uric acid should no longer be associated with coronary heart disease after additional adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors, the number of publications challenging this statement has dramatically increased. The aim of this paper was to review and discuss the most recent studies addressing the possible relation between sustained elevated serum uric acid levels and the onset or worsening of cardiovascular and renal diseases. Original studies involving American teenagers clearly showed that serum uric acid levels were directly correlated with systolic and diastolic pressures, which has been confirmed in adult cohorts revealing a 2.21-fold increased risk of hypertension. Several studies involving patients with coronary artery disease support a role for serum uric acid level as a marker and/or predictor for future cardiovascular mortality and long-term adverse events in patients with coronary artery disease. Retrospective analyses have shown an inverse relationship between serum uric acid levels and renal function, and even a mild hyperuricemia has been shown to be associated with chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. Interventional studies, although of small size, showed that uric acid (UA)-lowering therapies induced a reduction of blood pressure in teenagers and a protective effect on renal function. Taken together, these studies support a role for high serum uric acid levels (>6 mg/dL or 60 mg/L) in hypertension-associated morbidities and should bring awareness to physicians with regards to patients with chronic hyperuricemia.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease; hyperuricemia; renal disease; serum uric acid.