The Level of Serum Uric Acid as Evidence of Endothelial Dysfunction in Normal Weight and Obese Children with Primary Hypertension

Objective: Primary hypertension (HT) and obesity with a global increase in prevalence in children has become a critical health problem. HT and obesity are among the well-established cardiovascular risk factors. In this study, we investigated the relationship between arterial stiffness (AS) and serum uric acid (UA) levels in normal-weight and obese children with primary HT.Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted at the university hospital between September 2016 and September 2017. The children aged 6-18 years and recently diagnosed with HT (n=77) were categorized into two groups based on body mass index values as group 1 (HT + obese) (n=46) and group 2 (HT + normal weight) (n=31). The control group (n=35) consisted of age and gender -matched healthy children. The AS of all children included in the study was measured by ossilometric methods using mobil-O-Graph.Results: A total of 112 children with a mean age of 13.2 +/- 3.1 years and most males (61.6%) were included in this study. The values of pulse wave velocity (PWV), central systolic blood pressure (SBP)-diastolic blood pressure (DBP), peripheral SBP-DBP, mean BP, and cardiac output in both HT groups (HT + normal weight and HT + obese) were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05). The pulse wave reflection (%) was the lowest in the HT + obese group. When the serum UA levels were compared among the groups, the highest value was found in the HT + obese group.Conclusions: A higher AS-PWV was detected in the normal weight and the obese children with a recent diagnosis of primary HT compared with the control group.