Uric acid: role in cardiovascular disease and effects of losartan.

A substantial body of epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that serum uric acid is an important, independent risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease especially in patients with hypertension, heart failure, or diabetes. Elevated serum uric acid is highly predictive of mortality in patients with heart failure or coronary artery disease and of cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes. Further, patients with hypertension and hyperuricemia have a 3- to 5-fold increased risk of experiencing coronary artery disease or cerebrovascular disease compared with patients with normal uric acid levels.