Urinary Sodium-Potassium Ratio May Signal Heart Health in RA

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate whether sodium and potassium intake and the ratio between urinary sodium and potassium excretion were associated with cardiovascular disease markers in patients with RA.
• They included 61 adults with RA (mean age, 62.4 years; 78.7% women; 65% reported a history of hypertension) from the outpatient department of a hospital in Greece.
• Assessments included markers of inflammation, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), disease activity using the 28-joint Disease Activity score, and other relevant parameters.
• Sodium and potassium excretion was calculated using 24-hour urine samples. Daily sodium intake was estimated assuming the urinary sodium excretion of 93%, and daily potassium intake was estimated assuming a gastrointestinal absorption of 77%.
• Coronary microvascular perfusion was evaluated using the subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR) measured with applanation tonometry; arterial stiffness was evaluated using pulse wave velocity and an augmentation index normalised to 75 beats/min.

TAKEAWAY:

• The 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion corresponded to a daily salt and potassium mean intake of 6.7 and 2.1 g, respectively. The mean urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio was 2.4, with only two patients showing an optimal ratio of ≤ 1.
• Urinary sodium excretion was significantly associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (correlation coefficient [r], -0.309; P = .016) and uric acid levels (r, 0.301; P = .028).
• Urinary potassium excretion was positively associated with the eGFR (r, 0.371; P = .004), whereas it was negatively associated with disease activity (r, -0.387) and systemic inflammation (r, -0.269; P < .05 for both).
• Urinary sodium excretion (beta [β], -0.247; P = .034) and urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio (β, -0.247; P = .026) were independently and inversely correlated with SEVR. Neither urinary sodium nor potassium (or their ratio) was linked to markers of arterial stiffness.

IN PRACTICE:

The study findings add new evidence to the growing body of evidence regarding the importance of dietary sodium and potassium intake in terms of cardiovascular health, in a well-defined population of patients with RA.

 

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/urinary-sodium-potassium-ratio-may-signal-heart-health-ra-2025a1000l2a