The association between serum uric acid and blood pressure in different age groups in a healthy Chinese cohort

High serum uric acid (sUA) has been reported to be a risk factor for hypertension however, whether this is the case for all age groups is not clear. We examined the association between sUA concentrations and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in different age groups in a cohort of healthy Chinese participants. A total of 1082 healthy participants aged from 41 to 70 years were included. sUA concentration was measured by the uricase-peroxidase method. SBP and DBP were assessed using mercury sphygmomanometry. Hypertension was defined as SBP >= 140mm Hg or DBP >= 90 mm Hg. Hyperuricemia (HUA) was defined as sUA concentration of >7mg/dL in men and >6mg/dL in women. The association between sUA concentration and SBP and DBP was examined using Pearson's correlation test, multivariate linear regression, and logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of hypertension and HUA increased with age (P<.001). Hypertension was more common in participants that had HUA than in those that did not (38.95% vs 30.16%, P=.02). Higher sUA was significantly associated with higher SBP and DBP in the 41- to 50-year-old participants (SBP, beta=0.35, P<.001; DBP, beta=.29, P<.001; after adjustment for age, sex, total cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and fasting plasma glucose). HUA was also a risk factor for hypertension in this age group (odds ratio 1.425, 95% confidence interval, 1.217-1.668, P<.001). There was no association between sUA concentration and SBP and DBP in the other age groups. In this population of healthy Chinese participants, sUA concentration was positively associated with hypertension only in the 41- to 50-year-old group. Lowering uric acid in this age group may help to reduce the incidence of hypertension.