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Uric acid and the cardiovascular profile of African and Caucasian men

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 24, pages 639–645 (2010)Cite this article

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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=87) and Caucasian (N=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; P<0.01) 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=0.29; P=0.02), whereas only the African men showed an independent correlation between UA and total peripheral resistance (TPR) (r=0.23; P=0.04). TPR increased significantly across UA tertiles only in the African men (P=0.01 vs P=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.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for those funding this project, namely the Southern African National Research foundation (NRF GUN number 2073040), Medical Research Council and Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR) from the Northwest University. We also thank the participants of this study, the supporting staff and colleagues of the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) from the Northwest University, as well as Mrs C Lessing. This study was supported by grants from Southern African National Research Foundation (GUN 2073040), Medical Research Council and Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research.

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  1. Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), Northwest University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    I M Palmer, A E Schutte & H W Huisman

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  1. I M Palmer
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  2. A E Schutte
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  3. H W Huisman
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Correspondence to A E Schutte.

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Palmer, I., Schutte, A. & Huisman, H. Uric acid and the cardiovascular profile of African and Caucasian men. J Hum Hypertens 24, 639–645 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2010.1

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