China: A recent study has revealed a concerning correlation between hyperuricemia (HU) and thickening of the left ventricular wall in young adults with hypertension (HTN). The research, published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, sheds light on how elevated uric acid levels might exacerbate cardiac structural changes in this demographic, raising potential implications for early intervention strategies.

The study found an independent association between hyperuricemia and hypertension in young adults. Hyperuricemia was found to be independently associated with increased thickness of the left ventricular wall, including the interventricular septum and the left ventricular posterior wall, in young adults with hypertension.
Hyperuricemia is commonly associated with conditions such as gout and metabolic syndrome and has previously been linked to cardiovascular diseases. Gaojun Wu, Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Nan Bai Xiang Street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, and colleagues aimed to investigate the association between the HU and HTN in Chinese young adults. Additionally, they identified a correlation between the presence of a thickened left ventricular wall and hyperuricemia (HU) in patients with hypertension.
For this purpose, the researchers enrolled 360 patients with HTN and 1991 young adults with normal blood pressure (NBP). Participant characteristics were gathered, and both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between hyperuricemia and hypertension, as well as the association between thickened ventricular septum and HU in patients with HTN.
The following were the key findings of the study:
The prevalence of HU in Chinese young adults with HTN was significantly higher than in young adults with NBP (36.39% versus 16.93%).
Univariable analyses revealed that eight factors were related to the presence of HTN, including HU, male, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m2, total cholesterol (TC) > 5.17mmol/L, triglyceride (TG) > 1.70mmol/L, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) < 1.0mmol/L, fasting blood glucose (FBG) > 6.10mmol/L and fatty liver.
After adjusting these covariates, multivariable analysis revealed that HU [odds ratio (OR):1.47] remained independent in association with HTN in young adults.
Univariable and multivariable logistic analyses revealed that HU kept an independent effect on the presence of thickened interventricular septum (adjusted OR = 1.81) and thickened left ventricular posterior wall(adjusted OR = 2.28) in young adults with HTN.
"Our research highlights that hyperuricemia is a significant non-traditional factor associated with hypertension in young adults. Other related factors include overweight, dyslipidemia, obesity, and fatty liver. Additionally, HU is independently linked to a thickened left ventricular wall in young adults with HTN," the researchers concluded.
Reference:
Wang, N., Lin, W., Chen, X. et al. Correlation between hyperuricemia and thickened left ventricular wall in hypertensive young adults. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 24, 392 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-024-04060-1