No research has explored the role of catecholamine metabolites in the stratification of cardiovascular risk. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between urine metanephrines and cardiometabolic risk/complications. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we collected the data of 1374 patients submitted to the evaluation of urine metanephrines at the City of Health and Science University Hospital of Turin between 2007 and 2015, mainly for investigating the suspicion of secondary hypertension or the secretion of an adrenal lesion. The univariate analysis showed associations between metanephrines and cardiometabolic variables/parameters, particularly considering noradrenaline metabolite. At univariate regression, normetanephrine was associated with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-1.25; p < 0.001) and metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20; p = 0.004), while metanephrine was associated with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.06-1.43; p = 0.006) and microalbuminuria (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.03-1.60; p = 0.018). At multivariate regression, considering all major cardiovascular risk factors as possible confounders, normetanephrine retained a significant association with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.07-1.22; p < 0.001) and metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.19; p = 0.017). Moreover, metanephrine retained a significant association with the presence of hypertensive cardiomyopathy (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.41; p = 0.049) and microalbuminuria (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.69; p = 0.019). The study showed a strong relationship between metanephrines and cardiovascular complications/metabolic alterations. Individuals with high levels of these indirect markers of sympathetic activity should be carefully monitored, and they may benefit from an aggressive treatment to reduce the cardiometabolic risk.
Keywords: adrenaline; adrenergic regulation; cardiovascular risk; cardiovascular system; catecholamine; noradrenaline.