[HYPERURICEMIA AND POTENTIAL RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND RENAL DISEASES].

Besides the well accepted need to treat hyperuricemia associated with gout, some large observational studies and small prospective therapeutic trials have suggested that treating asymptomatic hyperuricemia, especially by xanthine oxidase inhibition, the enzyme producing uric acid, could be beneficial for cardiovascular and renal risk prevention. This article discusses the literature about this promising approach, which, however, requests prospective validation.