A recent study reveals,  babies, especially preterm ones, with high levels of serum uric acid during early years of life, may be associated with high blood pressure at the age of seven, further leading to hypertension in adulthood.

The study further says, this high level of serum uric acid at very early years in tots, is a result of the in-utero environment. The findings, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, suggest that baseline serum uric acid levels measured at three years of age, significantly affected subsequent blood pressure in the sex and body mass index adjusted longitudinal data analysis.

The participants with high uric acid levels at both three and five years of age had the highest systolic blood pressure at seven years of age. “Many studies have shown that early-life health can affect adulthood," said the study's lead author Hyesook Park from from Oxford University Press USA. "We think that along with childhood health monitoring, early intervention in childhood is the most effective way to prevent future disease,” Park added. Foods and beverages, with high purine contents include liver, anchovies, mackerel, dried beans, beer and wine and high levels of uric acid have the potential to lead to gout, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

The researchers measured the uric acid levels of 449 children in Seoul, South Korea, and performed at least two follow-up examinations between 2001 and 2006. The cohort was composed of mothers who visited hospitals for prenatal care between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. Serum uric acid levels, blood pressure and anthropometric characteristics were assessed at three, five, and seven years of age.

The findings suggest the importance of maintaining appropriate levels of serum uric acids from the early life. Appropriate monitoring and intervention of uric acid levels in a high-risk group can potentially reduce the risk of a future increased blood pressure.