Uric Acid and Arterial Stiffness

Abstract

Adriana Albu,1 Ioana Para,2 Mihai Porojan1 12nd Department of Internal Medicine; 24th Department of Internal Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaCorrespondence: Ioana Para 4th Department of Internal Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Babes Street, Cluj-Napoca 400012, RomaniaEmail [email protected]: Hyperuricemia is usually associated with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease. Accumulating data from epidemiological studies indicate an association of increased uric acid (UA) with cardiovascular diseases. Possible pathogenic mechanisms include enhancement of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation caused by hyperuricemia. Arterial stiffness may be one of the possible pathways between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular disease, but a clear relationship between increased UA and vascular alterations has not been confirmed. The review summarizes the epidemiological studies investigating the relationship between UA and arterial stiffness and highlights the results of interventional studies evaluating arterial stiffness parameters in patients treated with UA-lowering drugs.Keywords: uric acid, arterial stiffness, cardiovascular risk

Keywords

• uric acid
• arterial stiffness
• cardiovascular risk