Clinical and Biochemical Significance of Uric Acid in Human Health and Disease

Abdulkadhim Kareem Abbood  Zerjawi

doi:10.51699/cajotas.v7i3.1724

Authors

Abdulkadhim Kareem Abbood Zerjawi Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Wasit University, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51699/cajotas.v7i3.1724

Keywords:

Uric Acid, Hyperuricemia, Metabolic Disorders, Biochemical Markers, Cardiovascular Risk, Serum Biomarkers, Metabolic Syndrome, Clinical Biochemistry

Abstract

Uric acid is the end product of the purine metabolism in human beings and is also involved in various physiological and pathological processes. Uric acid is a natural antioxidant in normal circumstances, but in extreme cases, it has been linked to metabolic and heart diseases, which have been found to correlate with the increase in serum levels of uric acid. The proposed study had two objectives: to assess the clinical and biochemical value of serum uric acid levels and to investigate their relation with some metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers. The study involved 200 adult participants in the age bracket of 18-65 years who were studied on a cross-sectional basis. A total of 100 apparently healthy individuals (control group) and 100 patients with metabolic or cardiovascular conditions (clinical group), such as gout, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome, were used as participants. After 8-12 hours of overnight fasting, venous blood samples were taken. The levels of serum uric acid were done by the enzyme uricase-peroxidase colorimetric system and fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, lipid profile and C-reactive protein with standard laboratory procedures. The findings revealed that clinical group (6.9 ± 1.5 mg/dL) had a significantly higher mean serum uric acid level than control group (4.8 ± 1.1mg/dL) (p < 0.001). Hyperuricemia was identified in 31 % of the participants, and 77.4 % of them were in clinical group. Body mass index (r = 0.41) and triglyceride levels (r = 0.38) were positively correlated with the levels of uric acid. The diagnostic performance was moderate (AUC = 0.78) as demonstrated by the receiver operating characteristic analysis. These results suggest that high levels of serum uric acid are correlated with metabolic disorders and can be used as a helpful biomarker of metabolic risks.

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