Association of serum uric acid with blood pressure in Japanese men: Cross-sectional study in work-site group

Background: It has been reported that elevated levels of serum uric acid are related to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies, however, have found little association between hyperuricemia and hypertension. Methods and Results: The association of serum uric acid with blood pressure was examined in 3,960 Japanese male workers (18-64 years of age; mean age, 42.3±0.2 years). Systolic blood pressure was significantly correlated with serum uric acid. Multiple regression analysis also showed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were independently associated with serum uric acid. When subjects were divided into 6 groups according to blood pressure on the basis of the Japanese Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension (JSH 2009), serum uric acid was elevated in a linear fashion as blood pressure increased. A similar relationship was found even in 3,608 subjects who were not taking anti-hypertensive or uric acid-lowering agents. In contrast, no relation was found between serum uric acid and blood pressure in 352 subjects taking anti-hypertensive medicine. Conclusions: Blood pressure is closely associated with serum uric acid. Serum uric acid might be associated with the increase in blood pressure, because there is no relation between serum uric acid and blood pressure in the subjects treated with anti-hypertensive medications.