THE EFFECT OF DIURETIC DRUGS ON THE LEVELS OF URIC ACID: PP.33.353:

Objective: To study the effect of various diuretic drugs in relation to the appearance of hyperuricemia (abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood). Design and Method: 145 hypertensive patients were studied (83 male and 62 female), with average age 70.3+/−12.8 years of age. The medication of all the patients was examined, while the uric acid levels were determined with the use of a biochemical analyzer. Results: 78 patients out of 145, a 53.8% percentage, had normal levels uric acid values, while 67 patients (46.2%) had elevated uric acid values. Only one patient had an episode of acute uric arthritis, leading to the immediate interruption of the diuretic drug (spironolactone). Further study revealed that out of the 67 patients, (41 male and 26 female), 53 were already under treatment with diuretic drugs(79.10%). The vast majority of diuretics used was thiazide diuretics (26 patients, 49%) and furosemide (22 patients, 41.5%). Conclusions: Therefore, it is proven that in a large percentage of hypertensive patients (almost 1 out of 2 patients), the use of diuretics has an increasing effect on the serum uric acid values. This should always be taken into consideration, given the fact that besides the effect of diuretics on the lipidemic profile of patients, there is always the danger of acute uric arthritis.