Hyperuricaemia in hypertension: role of alcohol.

Hyperuricaemia was present in 18 out of 73 men with untreated mild hypertension and was related significantly to alcohol intake, serum aspartate transaminase activity, and obesity. In the whole group the mean serum urate concentration correlated highly significantly with alcohol intake and activities of serum aspartate and alanine transferases but not with ponderal index, serum creatinine concentration, age, or blood pressure. Hypertension and hyperuricaemia are related at least in part through their common association with frequent alcohol use. A serum urate concentration exceeding 0.5 mmol/l (8--4 mg/100 ml) in a man with untreated hypertension is highly suggestive of heavy alcohol consumption. There was no evidence that hyperuricaemia had a deleterious effect on renal function.