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Serum uric acid and blood pressure in children at cardiovascular risk

Francesca Viazzi1, Laura Antolini, Marco Giussani

  • 1University of Genoa and IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy.

Pediatrics
|June 19, 2013
PubMed

Insights

High uric acid (UA) levels are linked to increased blood pressure (BP) in children. This study found that elevated UA independently predicts higher BP in pediatric cardiovascular risk assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Hyperuricemia is a known correlate of hypertension in children.
  • The intricate relationship between serum uric acid (UA), systemic blood pressure (BP), and confounding factors requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between serum uric acid (UA) levels and blood pressure (BP) in a pediatric cohort.
  • To determine if UA has independent predictive power for hypertension in children undergoing cardiovascular risk assessment.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 501 children (aged 6-18 years) referred for cardiovascular risk assessment.
  • Evaluation of office BP, clinical parameters, and biohumoral markers, including serum UA.
  • Statistical analysis adjusted for potential confounders like BMI, puberty, and renal function.

Main Results:

  • Over 50% of the cohort exhibited overweight or obesity.
  • Serum UA levels showed a positive trend with increasing BP categories.
  • Adjusted analysis revealed a direct relationship between UA and both systolic and diastolic BP (P = .03).
  • Each 1 mg/dL increase in UA was associated with at least a 50% increased risk of prehypertension or hypertension (P < .01).

Conclusions:

  • Elevated serum uric acid levels demonstrate independent predictive power for higher blood pressure in children.
  • These findings highlight UA as a significant factor in pediatric hypertension risk assessment.
Abstract

Keywords:
HOMA indexchildrenhypertensionobesitypre-hypertensionuric acid

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