Longitudinal Association between Serum Uric Acid and Arterial Stiffness: Results from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

Serum uric acid (SUA) has long been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, with arterial stiffness proposed as a mediator. However, evidence on the association between SUA and arterial stiffness is limited to contradicting cross-sectional studies. In this analysis, we examined the longitudinal relationship between SUA and pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, in a community-dwelling population. We studied 446 women and 427 men participating in the BLSA (Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging), with 1409 and 1434 observations, respectively, over an average period of 6 years. At baseline, mean ages of women and men were 65\ub113 and 68\ub113 years; mean SUA, 4.6\ub11.1 and 5.7\ub11.3 mg/dL; mean pulse wave velocity, 8.1\ub11.7 and 8.6\ub11.9 m/s, respectively (P