Effect of allopurinol on cardiovascular incidence among hypertensive nephropathy patients: the Gonryo study

• Published in: Clinical and experimental nephrology Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 549 - 553
• Main Authors: Terawaki, Hiroyuki, Nakayama, Masaaki, Miyazawa, Emiko, Murata, Yaeko, Nakayama, Keisuke, Matsushima, Masato, Miyazaki, Mariko, Sato, Hiroshi, Sato, Mitsuhiro, Sato, Toshinobu, Taguma, Yoshio, Ito, Sadayoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.08.2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Allopurinol - therapeutic use; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Humans; Hypertension, Renal - complications; Hypertension, Renal - drug therapy; Incidence; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nephritis - complications; Nephritis - drug therapy; Nephrology; Original Article; Urology; Japan; Xanthine oxidase; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic kidney disease; Hypertensive nephropathy; Allopurinol
• ISSN: 1342-1751; 1437-7799
• DOI: 10.1007/s10157-012-0742-z

Background The present study aimed to clarify the beneficial effect of allopurinol on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a cohort of hypertensive nephropathy patients with impaired kidney function. Methods One hundred and seventy-eight patients diagnosed with hypertensive nephropathy and presenting with impaired kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate <45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) were recruited from nephrology clinics. Oral allopurinol was prescribed in 67 of these patients. The effects of allopurinol use on the development of cardiovascular disease (i.e. ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, and stroke) and all-cause death was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results During the follow-up of 18.4 months (mean), 28 primary events occurred. Basal use of allopurinol was a significant beneficial factor (hazard ratio = 0.342, p  = 0.0434, standard error = 0.53058) after adjusting for confounding factors. Conclusion The use of allopurinol in hypertensive subjects with impaired kidney function appears to be beneficial in preventing cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality, indicating that this xanthine oxidase inhibitor protects the vascular system, at least in this specific group.