The Role of Uric Acid in Carbohydrate Metabolism among Hypertensive Individuals

The association between fasting blood glucose and insulin and serum uric acid levels in general population, as well as the positive association between serum uric acid levels and development of type 2 diabetes mellitus have been reported. Objective: Correlation of serum uric acid (SUA) levels with various parameters indicative of carbohydrate metabolism among treated and newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensive individuals. Research Design and Methods: We studied 2803 hypertensive patients treated or newly diagnosed untreated. The levels of SUA and other parameters of carbohydrate metabolism, such as fasting glucose (gl0), fasting insulin levels (IN0), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting insulin resistance index (HOMA0), loading insulin resistance index (HOMA120), fasting c-peptide (c-pept0) and loading c-peptide (c-pept120) were calculated. The study population was divided into two groups: group A (N=543): SUA levels above normal range and group B (N=2260): SUA levels within normal range. Results: In the overall study population SUA levels showed a statistically significant positive correlation with gl0 (p <0.001), in0 (p<0.001), HbA1C (p=0.002) and HOMA0 (p<0.001), gl120 (p =0.003), in120 (p=0.007), HOMA120 (p=0.002) and c-pept0 (p<0.001). In the glucose loading subgroups SUA levels showed a statistically significant positive correlation with gl120 (r=0.142, p =0.003), in120 (r=0.119, p=0.007), HOMA120 (r=0.184, p=0.002) and cpept0 (r=0.292, r<0.001). Conclusion: The levels of SUA in hypertensive individuals are both associated with and dependent on different parameters of carbohydrate metabolism and insulin resistance, either suggesting a potential role of uric acid in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and deranged glucose metabolism, or verifying that it constitutes an aspect of the underlying pathologic condition