Serum Uric Acid Levels Predict New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes in Hospitalized Patients With Primary Hypertension: The MAGIC Study

OBJECTIVE- Recent studies suggest that uric acid may predict the development of diabetes in the general population. Whether this association holds true in primary hypertension and is independent of renal function and metabolic syndrome is not clear at present. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- In a prospective, observational study, 758 untreated hypertensive patients were evaluated at baseline and followed-up for 11 years. RESULTS- A total of 8,332 person-years of follow-up revealed that slightly elevated uric acid levels (i.e., >= 318 mu mol/l for women and >= 420 mu mol/l for men) at baseline were associated with a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes (hazard ratio 3.65 [95% CI 1.99-6.69], P < 0.0001), even after adjustment for several confounding factors such as metabolic syndrome (2.78 [1.35-5.70], P = 0.0054). CONCLUSIONS- Uric acid is an independent predictor of diabetes in primary hypertension.