The Correlation Between Serum Uric Acid/Albumin Ratio and Circadian Rhythm of Blood Pressure in Patients with Hypertension

OBJECTIVE
A non-dipping blood pressure (BP) pattern is commonly associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. This study aimed to examine the relationship between a non-dipper circadian pattern and the serum uric acid/albumin ratio (UAR) in individuals with hypertension.


METHOD
This study included 340 consecutive patients who underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) from June 2022 to June 2023. Based on the circadian BP pattern obtained from 24-hour ABPM, patients were classified into two groups: dipper and non-dipper. The non-dipper group was defined based on a nighttime blood pressure decline of less than 10%.


RESULTS
UAR levels were significantly higher in patients exhibiting a non-dipper pattern compared to those in the dipper group. Higher UAR rates were independently associated with the presence of a non-dipper pattern, as determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that UAR values above 1.30 had a sensitivity of 66.5% and a specificity of 65.9% for predicting the non-dipper pattern [area under the curve (AUC): 0.738, 95% confidence interval: 0.688 - 0.790; P < 0.001].


CONCLUSION
UAR is a readily obtainable and calculable biomarker for identifying patients prone to hypertensive patterns that do not decline at night. Thus, hypertensive patients at increased risk for future adverse atherosclerotic events can be identified and closely monitored, allowing for the application of more intensive treatment strategies.