Center of Research Translation (CORT) Project 2

Inclusion Criteria: * Pre-hypertension or stage I hypertension, defined as the following after the mean of two clinic measurements: * Systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 120 and \<160 or; * Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 80 and \< 100 * Serum urate ≥ 5.0 mg/dL for men or ≥ 4.0 mg/dL for women * Age 18-40 Exclusion Criteria: * Any current pharmacological treatment for hypertension, including diuretics (calcium channel blockers at stable doses were later allowed) * Estimated glomerular filtration rate \< 60 mL/min/1.73m2 * Current use of any urate-lowering therapy or statins * Prior diagnosis of gout or past use of urate-lowering therapy for gout * Prior diagnosis of diabetes * Pregnancy, or recent delivery or last trimester pregnancy loss more recent than 3 months * Active smokers * Immune-suppressed individuals including transplant recipients or current use of azathioprine. * Leucopenia with absolute white cell count \< 3000 /mL, anemia with hemoglobin \< 12 g/dL, or thrombocytopenia with platelet count \< 150,000/mL * Individuals of Han Chinese or Thai descent with HLAB5801 genetic phenotype * Serious medical condition that at investigator's judgment precludes utilization of a fixed dose of allopurinol