Serum uric acid is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy independent of serum parathyroid hormone in male cardiac patients.

BACKGROUND

Several studies have shown that serum uric acid (UA) is associated with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which has bbe shown to be correlated with UA, is also known to be associated with cardiac hypertrophy; however, whether the association between UA and cardiac hypertrophy is independent of PTH remains unknown.

PURPOSE: We investigated whether the relationship between serum uric acid (UA) and LV hypertrophy is independent of intact PTH and other calcium-phosphate metabolism-related factors in cardiac patients.

METHODS AND

RESULTS

In a retrospective study, the association between UA and left ventricular mass index was assessed among 116 male cardiac patients (mean age 65 ± 12 years) who were not taking UA lowering drugs. The median UA value was 5.9 mg/dL. Neither age nor body mass index differed significantly among the UA quartile groups. Patients with higher UA levels were more likely to be taking loop diuretics. UA showed a significant correlation with intact PTH (R = 0.34, P<0.001) but not with other calcium-phosphate metabolism-related factors. Linear regression analysis showed that log-transformed UA showed a significant association with left ventricular mass index, and this relationship was found to be significant exclusively in patients who were not taking loop and/or thiazide diuretics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that log-transformed UA was independently associated with LV hypertrophy with an odds ratio of 2.79 (95% confidence interval 1.48-5.28, P = 0.002 per one standard deviation increase).

CONCLUSIONS

Among cardiac patients, serum UA was associated with LV hypertrophy, and this relationship was, at least in part, independent of intact PTH levels, which showed a significant correlation with UA in the same population.