Uric acid and the cardiovascular profile of African and Caucasian men

Abstract

The African population is considered a high-risk group for the development of hypertension, and identifying risk factors are therefore essential in preventive actions against cardiovascular disease (CVD). Elevated levels of uric acid (UA) are often associated with CVD. Our first aim was to establish possible ethnic differences in UA levels between African and Caucasian men. Our second aim was to determine any associations between UA levels and cardio-metabolic variables, and also how these correlates differ between the two groups. African (N ¼ 87) and Caucasian (N ¼ 121) men participated in this cross-sectional study. Our results have shown that African men had significantly lower (353±87.7 vs 401 ± 98.2; Po0.01) UA levels compared with Caucasian men. Waist circumference and triglycerides correlated strongly with UA in both ethnic groups. This was confirmed with a forward stepwise multiple regression analysis. After adjustment for confounders, the correlation between UA and triglycerides remained significant only in the Caucasians (r ¼ 0.29; P ¼ 0.02), whereas only the African men showed an independent correlation between UA and total peripheral resistance (TPR) (r ¼ 0.23; P ¼ 0.04). TPR increased significantly across UA tertiles only in the African men (P ¼ 0.01 vs P ¼ 0.96).In conclusion, despite their lower UA levels, Africans showed an independent relationship between UA and vascular resistance, indicating a possible explanation for their high prevalence of hypertension.

Visceral fat mass: is it the link between uric acid and diabetes risk?

“…However, this association did not remain significant after adjustment for age, eGFR, BMI and VAT fat mass. Similarly, in another study, the association between UA and hsCRP (high-sensitivity CRP) did not remain significant after adjustment for BMI and waist circumference [42]. The individual inflammatory markers of IL-6 and TNF-α, were also not significantly associated with plasma UA as previously reported [43].…”

A comparison of the cardiometabolic profile of black South Africans with suspected non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and excessive alcohol use

“…Uric acid, which correlated well with DBP in these non-alcohol users, is elevated in obesity (Tsushima et al, 2013) and is associated with hypertension (Hwu & Lin, 2010). Palmer, Schutte, and Huisman (2010) found significant correlations between BP and uric acid, but these associations seem to be linked to obesity measures as they disappeared after adjustment for confounders. Considering this, the high TG and the uric acid levels in the non-alcohol group, may be indicative of an increased risk of hypertension and CVD.…”

Racial/ethnic and sex differences in the relationship between uric acid and metabolic syndrome in adolescents: an analysis of National Health and Nutrition Survey 1999-2006

“…Surveys of uric acid levels in adults have had mixed findings with respect to racial/ethnic differences, reporting higher levels in non-Hispanic whites [54,55], no difference [56] and higher levels in non-Hispanic blacks [14], potentially owing to differences in underlying MetS-related comorbidities among these studies of adults. In many ways, adolescents represent a more logical group to test for these racial/ethnic differences, given a very low rate of these comorbidities.…”