The state of carotid artery wall in hypertensive patients with gout based on the study of inflammatory markers

The aim. To analyze the frequency of atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries and association with the lipid metabolism and inflammatory markers in hypertensive patients with gout.Materials and methods. 122 patients with hypertension aged 30 to 65 years were examined (mean age (56.0 (47.0; 62.0)), inclu­ding 104 men (85.2 %) and 18 women (14.8 %). Group 1 included 72 hypertensive patients with gout; group 2 – 50 hypertensive patients without gout; group 3 – 20 gout patients without hypertension. Serum levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum ferritin levels were measured using electrochemiluminescent detection. The patients underwent carotid artery ultrasound according to standard methods.Results. The duration of gout exacerbation and the pain intensity evaluated with the visual analog scale (VAS) (P 0.05). This type of plaque was associated with a high risk of cerebrovascular events. In the patients with arterial hypertension and gout, a significant moderate positive correlation was found between the IMC thickness and the serum uric acid level (rs = 0.46, P < 0.01), hsCRP (rs = 0.33, P < 0.01), age (rs = 0.33; P < 0.01), duration of gout (rs = 0.27, P < 0.05) and VAS (rs = 0.39, P < 0.01); the level of hsCRP was correlated with the presence of atherosclerotic plaques (τ = +0.64, P < 0.05).Conclusions. The combination of hypertension with gout in patients was associated with a high incidence of IMC thickness ≥0.9 mm and atherosclerotic plaques, more severe disorders of purine and lipid metabolism, increased inflammatory markers (ferritin and hsCRP), that should be considered not only in the aspect of chronic inflammation, but also as a part of the disease.